Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Alpine

  • 21.02.22

    Alpine have announced their launch date for the A522, with it being on the 21st February.

    The covers will come off two days before the first pre-season test, at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

    The A522 is going to be driven by world champ Fernando Alonso and race winner Esteban Ocon with 2022 being their second season together!

    Ocon got the honour to take the first win of newly named Alpine outfit, as Renault was renamed in 2021.

    Alpine will be wanting to improve on their finish last year, P5 in the constructors. But will they be able to achieve this or better this year as executive director Marcin Budkowski and four-time champion Alain Prost have departed the team this month.

  • Marcin Budkowski left Alpine

    Marcin Budkowski left Alpine

    Today it got announced that Executive Director, Marcin Budkowski has left Alpine which brings a three-year stint at the team to an end.

    Budkowski has been a part of Alpine since 2018 where he joined from the FIA- before that he started his F1 career in the aerodynamic department of a few teams first being Prost GP, then Ferrari from 2002 to 2007 where he saw the team win multiple championships.

    He then decided to seek a new challenge and joined McLaren in 2007 where he worked in a variety of aerodynamic roles both at factory and on track- he became head of aerodynamics in 2012, however his 7 years at McLaren ended in 2014.

    He then went on to the FIA as mentioned above, where he became F1’s technical and sporting coordinator for the FIA, he then became head of the Formula One technical department in 2017. He then joined Renault as executive technical director and in January 2021 he was made a director of Alpine.

    Alpine have said that Laurent Rossi CEO will “temporarily” run the operation “to allow everyone to focus on next season’s preparations”. Rossi took over as CEO ahead of last season and since being in the team he has been conducting a review of it, which includes the management structure.

    Rossi said: “I would like to thank Marcin Budkowski for his commitment and contribution to the team’s results over the last four years. The team is fully focused on getting the car ready for the first race in Bahrain and deliver a step beyond in performance.”

    Budkowski added: “I truly enjoyed being part of the leadership team of Renault then Alpine F1 Team, working with such a talented and dedicated group of people. I will be watching the team’s progress fondly in the seasons to come.”

    My Opinion-

    I was shocked to hear this because I felt like he didn’t do anything to not deserve the position- but that being said, I feel like Alpine has some big problems in their management area seeing as Cyril Abiteboul left on the 11th January 2021, and now Marcin in January 2022…

    Obviously the rumour mill is spinning more and more now since Marcin has now left, will we see an announcement in the next few weeks about a certain Otmar Szafnauer joining the french team? And could this be the same for Aston Martin with Marcin? It’s a wait and see game at the moment…

  • Is Ocon Underrated?

    Is Ocon Underrated?

    During the season, we tend to look at the Championship contenders/ teams which are doing well more so than other teams/drivers. But seeing as the season has ended, now would be the perfect time to take a look back through the careers of some of the other F1 drivers on the grid. My main question being in this post is, is Esteban Ocon underrated?…

    Lets take a look back…

    The French man has had a good career so far, working his way through F3, GP3, DTM and the Formula 1, his first full season being in 2017 where he signed for a two year deal with Force India now called Aston Martin, his team-mate back then was Sergio Perez.

    But during the 2018 season, it is said that Ocon had an “informal agreement” with Renault for the 2019 season, because Lance Stroll was moving to Force India. But, the bad news for Ocon was Renault signing Daniel Ricciardo instead of Esteban Ocon which left no room for the now 25 year old.

    So Esteban became Mercedes reserve driver for the 2019 season- however he did not get the chance to fill in for a driver during the season but apparently became “very close” to replacing Valtteri Bottas, but they decided to stick with the Fin.

    After a year out, the french driver came back into F1 in the 2020 season with Renault and then now the newly named Alpine. He then signed a new 3 year deal which takes him up to then of 2024.

    Now looking onto this season. Overall he finished 11th, just 7 points away from his team-mate. We saw him get his first win in F1 in Hungary after he kept a cool-head knowing the fact Hamilton was on a war path to get higher up the gird, his team-mate Alonso, done some amazing defending helping the young driver to ensure on getting the win. As well as this, Ocon almost got on the podium in Saudi Arabia, as they crosed the line and Valtteri Bottas took it from him just!

    My Opinion-

    I personally, do think his underrated, if he had the right car underneath him I believe we would see a very good driver, I have a feeling he would be fighting for podiums etc. He is also very good at helping the team and him and Alonso get on well which we have all seen, if things go well for Alpine this year, we could see a few shock drives from Esteban.

  • Young Drivers Test 2021

    The Young Drivers Test, allows an opportunity for teams to field junior drivers to gain experience in F1 machinery, this takes place once a year and always once the season has ended. Lets take a look at who is driving for which team!

    Mercedes-

    Nyck de Vries will be in the silver arrows. This is no surprise to me, as his took part in it last year. Not only this, but Nyck is a test and reserve driver for Mercedes. The dutchman has driven in Formula E since 2020 with the Mercedes EQ Formula E Team and this year he became the first ever World Champion in Formula E.

    Red Bull-

    We have Formula 2 driver, Juri Vips driving for Red Bull in the YDT. Juri is apart of the Red Bull Junior Team, once again this isn’t Vips first time in the YDT, he drove for Red Bull last year too. Vips hasn’t got anything lined up for next year he could become Red Bull’s Test and reserve driver, as Alex Albon is going to Williams next year.

    Ferrari-

    Ferrari have two drivers doing the test for them, Robert Shwartzman who is apart of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and finished 2nd this year in Formula 2 Championship. As well as Antonio Fuoco. Fuoco done his first test with the Italian team back in 2015 and was also part of the Ferrari Driver Academy up until 2019, he was then promoted to Ferrari’s F1 simulator team, this line up for Ferrari is the same as last year.

    McLaren-

    The papaya team have Pato O’Ward in the car. Pato is not a stranger to McLaren as he races in IndyCar with the McLaren Arrows, and Zak Brown made a deal with the Mexican if he won in IndyCar he will get a chance to test the F1 car, so here we are! Pato is doing another year in Indy Car next year and it is said if he wins the championship there could be a possible move for him to F1 for McLaren!

    Alpine-

    Now, Alpine has the 2021 Formula Two Champion in their car for the Young Drivers Test. Oscar Piastri is apart of the Alpine Academy and has had an amazing career winning 3 titles back to back. However that didn’t secure Oscar a seat in F1 this year… Instead he is now Alpines test and reserve driver.

    Alpha Tauri-

    Another Formula 2 driver is amongst us! This time we have Liam Lawson who is driving for Alpha Tauri. Lawson is apart of the Red Bull Junior Team, he took part in both DTM and Formula 2 this year. DTM he finished 2nd, and F2 finished 9th overall, there is no news yet to see what he is doing next year but speculation is he will do another season in F2 which will be his second year if he did.

    Aston Martin-

    Aston Martin have chosen Nick Yelloly for the test, Nick is no stranger to the Silverstone based team as he has been their simulator driver for a few years now, he now gets to test the Aston Martin.

    Williams-

    Williams have decided to put their new Academy driver into the hot seat for the young drivers test. Logan Sargeant will be making an appearance for the British team, he has confirmed he will be racing in F2 next year with Carlin, whilst also being on stand-by helping out Williams when he can.

    Alfa Romeo-

    Alfa Romeo will be putting their new driver, Guanyu Zhou in for the YDT, as well as testing the prototype car on Wednesday. Zhou, finished 3rd in the Formula 2 Championship this year, and now he is graduating to Formula One.

    Haas-

    Robert Shwartzman will also be in the car for Haas. This wasn’t meant to be his first time in a Haas car, he was actually meant to run in the first practice session of the 2020 Abu Dhabi GP but did not appear on the entry list.

  • Oscar Piastri Alpines Reserve

    It has been announced that Oscar Piastri who is currently leading the Formula 2 Championship will be Alpines Reserve Driver in 2022.

    Oscar has been apart of the Alpine Academy since January 2020 and after securing the Formula 3 Championship, he was rewarded with a young drivers test in Bahrain.

    Oscar has had a brilliant year in F2 so far and still has two rounds remaining! His racked up 178 points which include, one sprint race win, two feature race wins, five podiums and three pole positions with two rounds left.

    Last year saw Piastri take the Formula 3 title in his rookie season with two wins and six podiums. He is on course to emulate Leclerc and Russell by winning the title at the first time of asking, this would be Oscars third title in a row where he won the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019.

    Discussing the promotions Piastri says: “I’m super excited to be joining Alpine F1 Team as Reserve Driver. I’m looking forward to being much more involved with the team and contributing to its intended success next season. The Reserve Driver role is the next step towards my aim for a race seat in 2023, which is very exciting. I’ve proved myself in the junior formulas over the last couple of years and feel like I’m ready for Formula 1 now along with the trackside experience at race weekends, we will put together a substantial test programme in order to keep developing myself to grow even more prepared for a race seat. I’m very thankful to Alpine for their support.”

    “We’ve enjoyed two very successful seasons together in the Academy and I’m grateful for the faith they’ve put in me for this next step with an eye on a bigger future. My focus now is finishing the Formula 2 Championship in the best possible way with Prema and I’m looking forward to being back in the car and pushing hard on track.”

    Laurent Rossi said: “Oscar’s natural talent is clear to see, so we’re very proud and privileged to have him as part of our team as our Reserve Driver from next year. Not only does Oscar have the on-track skills, as demonstrated over the last couple of years in the junior categories, but also the maturity and composure that makes him really stand out from the rest. At Enstone, he has been a real asset to the team as he has aided the simulator and testing programme and I am certain he will continue to do so in his new role.”

    “The next step will be to consistently attend Grands Prix to fully integrate with the race team, learn what is expected of an F1 driver and be ready for when the opportunity comes. In addition, we look forward to having Oscar’s input and expertise in driving the team forwards next year.”

    My Opinion-

    I think Oscar is a great driver, he is always so determined and you can see how much he wants a Formula 1 seat in 2023. He is happy to take this role on which I’m sure will benefit him in the future and the team too, it’s good he has something already planned for next season!

    It is a bit gutting though thinking that he doesn’t have a seat next year, but I’m sure Alpine will be wanting to snap him up in 2023 before any other teams try to.

  • Alonso extends contract with Alpine

    It has been confirmed that two-time world champ, Fernando Alonso will be staying with Alpine for the 2022 season, it is the only team he had discussions with for next year.

    Alonso came back into F1 this year after a two year break and joint Alpine where he one his two world titles. His contract for this year was just a one plus one (He had an option to extend for another year, which he now has).

    The Spaniard, hasn’t had the best season so far he only managed to score five points in the first 5 races but things are starting to slowly look better for him, he scored 8 points in Baku, 6 in Silverstone and 12 in Hungary whilst also defending off Lewis Hamilton to secure his team-mate Esteban Ocon his first win in F1. It will be interesting to see how he does the second half of the season…

    What would be next for him?

    If he chose not to stay, it is more than likely he would aim for Indy 500 and go for the triple crown which includes winning the Le Mans 24 Hours, F1 World Championship and the Indianapolis 500.

    My Opinion-

    I’m not surprised by this at all, I think its the right decision for both Alonso and Alpine especially with the regulation changes coming in next year, it will be helpful to have two drivers who know the team well.

  • Ocon to stay with Alpine

    It’s been confirmed on the eve of the French Grand Prix, that Esteban Ocon will be staying with french team Alpine till the end of 2024.

    Ocon joined the team when they were known as Renault at the start of the 2020 campaign, he scored his maiden F1 podium in Bahrain. This season though he has outperformed his double world champion team mate Fernando Alonso by scoring points four times in six Grand Prix.

    The team’s CEO Laurent Rossi said: “We are very proud to retain Esteban as part of the Alpine family. Since returning to the team in 2020, Esteban has grown in confidence and stature to deliver consistently good results and help develop the car with the team. We have every confidence in Esteban to help drive the team and the brand to the next level and meet its long-term objectives. Esteban is an asset for us beyond F1 as he is deeply involved in the Alpine global project.”

    My Opinion-

    I had a feeling Ocon was going to re-sign with Alpine, as it now seems that his getting comfortable with the team and the car. I do think it’s a good move from both Ocon and Alpine, it seems they work well together and that they look towards the future and hopefully fighting for championships. Also I think it’s nice it got announced on the week of his and his teams home race too, especially as theres fans there it makes it all a bit more special.

  • The Mid Field Battle

    The mid field battle is always the best, there’s always drama on and off the track, last year we had the mid field battle being McLaren, Racing point and Renault.

    McLaren ended up third last year in the constructors championship after a strong season, they are eventually making their way back up to the top to fight for the championship…

    Will it be the same three battling again or will McLaren be taking the fight to Red Bull?

    I personally hope that they do take the fight to Red Bull. I want to see the McLaren boys up on the podium more and fighting for wins! Although I do think they have more of an advantage as they now have Daniel Ricciardo and Lando had a strong season last year

    It will be interesting to see how Alpine and Aston Martin do this year, obviously they both have two drivers who weren’t in their team last year so it may set them back a little bit as they won’t be use to the car.

    If pre-season testing is anything to go by McLaren were very quick and it seemed Daniel settled in quickly. Aston Martin had quite a few problems over the course of the weekend. And Alpine wasn’t actually that bad, I thought they would of been worse to be honest…

    I think it’s going to be a very close season this year especially because of how many races there are, we could see a variety of drivers on the podium this year…

    Only one more week to go till the first race!