“No doubt in my mind,” Alan Permane believes Fernando Alonso can still race at the ‘highest level’

“No doubt in my mind,” Alan Permane believes Fernando Alonso can still race at the ‘highest level’

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon have adjusted very well to the 2022 machinery. The duo have pushed their A522 into Q3 on all races barring Bahrain GP where Alonso pushed their machinery to the top-10 spots.

Fernando suffered a crash at turn 11 during Q3 while on his flying lap. The Spaniard was unable to shift down his gears to reduce his speed. Following the incident in Q3, the team investigated the issue this morning. Small damage to an oil ring was found, which led to the car cutting out mid-corner during Fernando’s Qualifying lap.

Alpine sporting director Alan Permane believes Fernando Alonso is still racing at the “very highest” level. He said saying the former world champion is “enjoying” every part of life back in Formula 1.

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Fernando Alonso hasn’t lost his World Championship winning touch says Permane

Alpine's Fernando Alonso's car letting out thick smoke today
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso’s car letting out thick smoke today

Fernando Alonso suffered his second consecutive DNF in the 2022 Australian GP. He has till now just contributed just 2 of Alpine’s 22 points in the first 3 races of the season. Esteban Ocon who finished P7, P6, and P7 in Bahrain, Jeddah and Melbournes has contributed the 22 points. But the 40-year-old is still inspiring the team to challenge themselves.

When asked about where Alonso’s performances on the F1 Nation podcast Alan Permane responded “The very highest level. [There’s] no doubt in my mind. People asked me this all last year, and he doesn’t seem any different to when he drove 15 years ago for us.” 

Permane also hinted that the Spaniard is willing to commit to Alpine for a few more years despite his age. Looking forward to Imola, Alonso said it would be a “real test” for the team given others would also upgrade their machines for the race.

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