First details of Alonso's Alpine for 2022
Author: @20minutoses
With the 2021 season completed and all the test work completed, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon (like the rest of the drivers on the grid) can go on vacation, but that does not mean that Formula 1 will stop.
It will not be until January when they return to the Enstone factory to prepare for the vital 2022 preseason to be held in Barcelona, where the new cars will be seen for the first time, which will be totally different from those seen so far. The 18-inch tires, less aerodynamics and different engines make next season's regulations a golden opportunity for teams that want to take advantage of the wave to change the cycle.
One of the teams that raises the most suspicions (and fear) is Alpine. The French team has been one of the fastest growing between the first and last races of the 2021 season, including two podiums: Esteban Ocon's victory in Hungary and Fernando Alonso's third place in Qatar. And that with a 'truck' that stopped evolving a few years ago, according to Luca de Meo, the CEO of Renault and, therefore, the person responsible for making resources available to the Formula 1 team.
One of the main problems that Alpine (and before Renault) has had was, precisely, the regulations. The pressure to evolve made the technical team, directly, stop evolving the car several seasons ago.
"We traditionally had an aerodynamic handicap due to the architecture of the engine. This car was already 3 years old, it had reached the end of its life cycle. Next year it will have much more development potential than the current one, which has reached the limit ", admitted the French leader.
It is at that point, in the construction of the engine, where they will refine the most. Literally: "We are going to change the architecture of the engine for next year: a much finer engine, they are going to be more horsepower," he pointed out.
From a 'wide waist' car to a more stylish one
One of the great differences of the A521 with respect to its rivals was perhaps the most visible. The top, right where the air intake above the pilot, was noticeably wider than that of other cars. This engine cover was intended to give more help to cooling, and it did, but aerodynamically it was a serious problem.
If the deficiencies in the batteries are added, it can be said that it has been the drivers, both Alonso and Ocon, who have been key for Alpine to be ahead of AlphaTauri (powered by Honda) in the general classification. It was perfectly seen in many fights Alonso has had this year: on circuits with long straights it was difficult for him to attack and, what was worse, to defend himself.
This was because of what De Meo was aiming for: The Viry-Chatillon-built Renault-Mecachrome engine for the Alpine was wider than the Hondas, Ferraris and Mercedes and, on the surface, less efficient in terms of aerodynamics.
Unlike the others, Renault/Alpine did not supply power units to other teams, so they had to do the tests themselves. This will continue to happen in 2022, so finding the key to construction early on can give them a slight edge.
