2021 Alpine F1 Team

[101FlyingDutchman]

Strange isn’t it. This season for me is the final confirmation he belongs in the pantheon of all time greats. The way he has gone about his business is truly awe inspiring. There are reasons for why he “only” has 2 WDC, but his wheel to wheel race craft is/has been on another level. He’s one of the smartest F1 drivers around, always pushing but knowing how to push near the limit and not over. Amazing Fred.

[JPower]

Alonso's ability to manage his race until unleashing in the second stint is incredible. He's done it repeatedly this season.

Personally, I think does get to him that he's probably never been in a great car in the hybrid era but he knows how high the respect for him is on the paddock and among motorsports fans.

[Gillian]

Strange isn’t it. This season for me is the final confirmation he belongs in the pantheon of all time greats. The way he has gone about his business is truly awe inspiring. There are reasons for why he “only” has 2 WDC, but his wheel to wheel race craft is/has been on another level. He’s one of the smartest F1 drivers around, always pushing but knowing how to push near the limit and not over. Amazing Fred.

Could have easily been a few more than 2! And would have been so deserving. Alonso is a legend. Always stays out of trouble and seems to be able to adapt to any car and drive it fast.

[radosav]

He still has the racecraft.

[Andres125sx]

Yes. In race today Alpine and Alonso could be in Podium again missed the opportunity. I am not sure why they are not taking risk. They are not going to challenge wdc or wcc. Alsonso could be in P2 if he did the pit for inter. again missed opportunity.

If keeping slicks on the rain to hold a podium is not taking risks I´m not sure what else you´re expecting. It didn´t pay off, but they tried hard

[Andres125sx]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1442223045335080965
He still has the racecraft.

Nice to see what TV missed, thanks. Alonso is still on his prime, period

[radosav]

Yes. In race today Alpine and Alonso could be in Podium again missed the opportunity. I am not sure why they are not taking risk. They are not going to challenge wdc or wcc. Alsonso could be in P2 if he did the pit for inter. again missed opportunity.

If keeping slicks on the rain to hold a podium is not taking risks I´m not sure what else you´re expecting. It didn´t pay off, but they tried hard

Alonso said after the race that those who went to take inters were taking the risk and it paid off for them. He said that in this type of scenario( end of race, not so much water on track..) drivers stay on slicks as long as you can use them, only when rain gets heavier you go on inters or wets.

[Bisonas]

You have to keep in mind that a lot of people where either on old mediums or old hards when the rain arrived. Some of them where already struggling with the tyres. It was way easier for them and for their teams to switch early to Inters. It was like a gift for them. Alonso and Perez had the fastest and freshest tyres on the grid at that point, with Alonso probably having his in a perfect condition ready to unleash his pace in the final 7-8 laps. I really believe if it hadn't rain at all, Alonso would have been the fastest car in final 7-8 laps, or at worst second fastest car behind Perez.
I saw the last 10 laps from his onboard last night, just to hear all the communication with the team. He was at no point told to pit. He was being told, you are doing a good job, keep it up, and at some point was told, rain is gonna ease off for a while. I can understand the team leaving the exceptional, amazing and experienced Alonso out while he was gaining positions on light rain, i really do. it was looking really good in did. The intensity of the rain changed very sudden. He was about 1/3 on his lap when that happen and said to the team now its raining heavy. We pit this lap. It was unlucky for them and lucky for others because as Alonso said no one can predict the the exact moment that the intensity of the rain will change.
The real mistake was that they didn't pit Ocon earlier either, who was out of points, on old hards. That i can't understand it.
Anyway great race from Alonso. Until the rain it was perfectly executed. As someone else told earlier you need to have the live timing app to really understand how good he was. The consistency while managing his tyres is top notch. You where getting the feeling that he was holding him self, setting up his race, just to unleash his pace on fresher tyres in the last 10 laps.
It was really unlucky for him to have the rain at that moment.
Great drive non the less.

[selvam_e2002]

Yes. In race today Alpine and Alonso could be in Podium again missed the opportunity. I am not sure why they are not taking risk. They are not going to challenge wdc or wcc. Alsonso could be in P2 if he did the pit for inter. again missed opportunity.

If keeping slicks on the rain to hold a podium is not taking risks I´m not sure what else you´re expecting. It didn´t pay off, but they tried hard

Taking risk to pit and change the inter is also called as risk? is not?

[Michelangelo]

I hope there will be another shot for a podium. Car looks pretty fast on that sweet spot.

[diffuser]

I hope there will be another shot for a podium. Car looks pretty fast on that sweet spot.

We'll probably never hear if they find out what it is. I'm certain part of it is the way Alonso keeps space from the car in front until he's ready to pounce. All the other drivers just stick their nose right into the leading car's rear. The car has a much more stable downforce, when the car is further back. That results in the car not sliding around as much and the tires last longer.

He went very deep into the first stint(36 laps) that left him 17 laps on the Medium. Ocon had done 15 laps on the mediums with a full tank of gas at the start of the race, so 17 laps on Mediums to end the race would have been a cake walk. Much better traction from them. NO kidding he was flying.

[Bisonas]

I hope there will be another shot for a podium. Car looks pretty fast on that sweet spot.

We'll probably never hear if they find out what it is. I'm certain part of it is the way Alonso keeps space from the car in front until he's ready to pounce. All the other drivers just stick their nose right into the leading car's rear. The car has a much more stable downforce, when the car is further back. That results in the car not sliding around as much and the tires last longer.

He went very deep into the first stint(36 laps) that left him 17 laps on the Medium. Ocon had done 15 laps on the mediums with a full tank of gas at the start of the race, so 17 laps on Mediums to end the race would have been a cake walk. Much better traction from them. NO kidding he was flying.

I agree with what you said about Alonso always leaving a small gap to the car in front to protect his tyres while he is cruising on early stages of the race. I just wanted to add that he is also keen on destroying the tyres of the cars behind him. By leaving a gap he is protecting his tyres on early stages, and gives the bate on who is behind him to try and come close and pass him. When he is in control and he knows that he has the pace to hold the position, without having DRS himself (depending on the track of course), he plays mind games to the people behind him. He wants them close destroying their tyres. He has even done it to Ocon, and forced his teammate to complain about Alonso going slow. Alonso did not start the year having this tactic. He soon found out though that there is no point destroying your tyres early in the race trying to pass a car with similar pace in front of you.

[Andres125sx]

Alonso did not start the year having this tactic. He soon found out though that there is no point destroying your tyres early in the race trying to pass a car with similar pace in front of you.

Alonso is doing that for his whole career, far from new.

He´s always been the smartest driver out there. Ask Lewis, it was Alonso who forced some of his costly mistakes at the end of 2007

[Bisonas]

Alonso did not start the year having this tactic. He soon found out though that there is no point destroying your tyres early in the race trying to pass a car with similar pace in front of you.

Alonso is doing that for his whole career, far from new.

He´s always been the smartest driver out there. Ask Lewis, it was Alonso who forced some of his costly mistakes at the end of 2007

Alonso was doing that for much of his career yes.
But this year specifically after his absence, with so little testing, without knowing the tyres at all, he used the early races to learn things. Especially about the tyres. So in the early races he tried different tactics about managing the tyres and about managing the race as a whole. Thats why i said "Alonso did not start the year having this tactic".
Now he is able to follow his plan from lap1 because he doesn't have many " questionmarks" or many "what if" in his mind. The amazing thing to watch is how he is still getting better and better in every race. More fast, more consistent and more calm race by race.

[diffuser]

Alonso did not start the year having this tactic. He soon found out though that there is no point destroying your tyres early in the race trying to pass a car with similar pace in front of you.

Alonso is doing that for his whole career, far from new.

He´s always been the smartest driver out there. Ask Lewis, it was Alonso who forced some of his costly mistakes at the end of 2007

Alonso was doing that for much of his career yes.
But this year specifically after his absence, with so little testing, without knowing the tyres at all, he used the early races to learn things. Especially about the tyres. So in the early races he tried different tactics about managing the tyres and about managing the race as a whole. Thats why i said "Alonso did not start the year having this tactic".
Now he is able to follow his plan from lap1 because he doesn't have many " questionmarks" or many "what if" in his mind. The amazing thing to watch is how he is still getting better and better in every race. More fast, more consistent and more calm race by race.

I remember him doing the space thing when he was with Ferrari and McLaren. It something that came out of the Refueling ban of 2010. Before the refueling ban there was this big calculation of how fast you could go with what amount of fuel and how many stops. That always resulted in the driver going flat out for as much fuel as he had, the tires lasted longer than the fuel. When they pitted they replaced the tires while refueling the car, most of the stop was spent waiting for the refueling to complete. The car was always in this almost qualifying mode.


The refueling ban introduced tire saving. Driver's now drive the car as fast as the tires allow to minimize pit stops. They require a minimum of 1 stop, use of 2 tire types and 1 of the 3 tire type. So the calculation has changed slightly but they're still calculating how they can get to the end of the race in the least amount of time. Sometimes that is with fewer pitstops and slower time. Sometimes that with more pitstops with faster time.