“I don’t think we have a huge disadvantage or advantage,” Alpine confirm an engine change on Fernando Alonso’s brand new challenger A522

“I don’t think we have a huge disadvantage or advantage,” Alpine confirm an engine change on Fernando Alonso’s brand new challenger A522

Fernando Alonso

After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso had finished P9 along with his teammate, Esteban Ocon finishing P7. The team did not seem to find any issues with the cars at the beginning but after a post-race examination on Alonso’s A522, the team found a “suspected” problem in the Spaniard’s power unit and as a precautionary measure, the team had to make a few changes in the engine of the car.

Alpine revealed that after the Bahrain Grand Prix, they had identified a suspected sealing issue with the power unit due to do which they had to change the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) before the Saudi Grand Prix, and the unit used in Bahrain was sent back to the Viry for further analysis.

Since this following transaction is a temporary/precautionary change, Fernando Alonso will not be facing any penalties this weekend and once the engine is back from the lab, it will be used for later season use, although it was great to hear that Esteban Ocon’s ICE was completely unaffected.

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

Alpine’s engine concept over the years:

Mercedes has always topped the power chart since there has been an introduction of the hybrid power units in the year 2014 but of course, this year the gaps have appeared to be flattened than ever with teams like Ferrari and Renault getting closer to Red Bull and silver arrows.

According to Fernando Alonso, “it’s definitely a step on our side” and a step forward not only in terms of power units but also in terms of the engine concept. This project had already been in the works for a year and a half with the team satisfied with an excellent job done in Paris with the power unit.

With this situation in place, Alonso is pleased with the progress the team has made over the past few years and also in comparison with last year. He said that there is a lot of similarities with the other teams and “I don’t think we have a huge disadvantage or advantage.”

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