What can we take away from Alpine’s performance in qualifying?

The Alpine team had a very successful Saturday: Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso respectively achieved the 5th and 6th fastest times in qualifying, ahead of the two Mercedes.

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Rédigé par Par

A blue car will start 3rd in the Belgian Grand Prix this afternoon: Fernando Alonso’s Alpine! The Spaniard will be alongside Lewis Hamilton. With Esteban Ocon being penalized, an excellent overall result should be noted.

A significant improvement since Friday.

Free practice 1 had opened the weekend under very wet weather. Not ideal to start, knowing that the rain had little chance of disrupting the race, this Sunday.

Alpine found itself at the bottom of the rankings right from the first practice session. Things improved somewhat. Not necessarily in terms of fast laps, but rather in terms of race pace: it was similar to that of Mercedes, who seem to be struggling compared to their potential.

Thus, Ocon and Alonso’s 5th and 6th timings are indicative of a certain ease with the French cars. The top speed is interesting, and the cornering speed is decent (although it still pales in comparison to Verstappen’s fighter jet). Faced with Mercedes, and especially McLaren, the opportunity is great!

An Alpine-Mercedes battle for the podium positions?

To be better than the others, Alonso will be the only one to defend Alpine’s colors at the top of the field: he will have to simultaneously manage Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, beside him in 4th and 5th positions.

Esteban Ocon, only 17th, will be forced to quickly make his way up. He will be able to try to get in the slipstream of Verstappen and Leclerc in order to, in turn, start his climb.

On paper, Alonso will be playing two against one against the Mercedes. The advantage would currently go to the Silver Arrows. However, the Spaniard could take advantage of race incidents to maintain the advantage, while waiting for Ocon to make a comeback if his pace is good.

And if, by chance, Verstappen and Leclerc were to be hindered in their comeback, the battle between Alpine and Mercedes could be for the podium!

But watch out for McLaren: Daniel Ricciardo, 8th on the grid, should not be dismissed. Lando Norris, also penalized, will certainly be an obstacle to Esteban Ocon’s comeback. The 4th place in the constructors’ championship will remain highly contested!

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