Alpine has got Lando Norris 'rattled' after great results in 2022 F1 season, says team's sporting director

Alpine sporting director Alan Permane took a dig at McLaren's Lando Norris for his comments on the French team after the Japanese Grand Prix. Notably, the two teams are in a close battle to finish P4 in the constructors.

Speaking to The Race after Alpine reclaimed their fourth position at Suzuka, Lando Norris made these remarks about the team,

"I’m happy we’ve been able to fight them so far into the season, it shows we’ve done a very good job in all other areas, with reliability, with maximising our performances, taking opportunities, not making mistakes. They must’ve done a lot worse than us on all of those areas to only just be ahead of us in the championship with the car that they have.

Permane, however, had an apt reply to Norris's criticism. The sporting director clapped back by saying,

"Lando keeps saying that doesn’t he? We only just need to be ahead. I’m not sure why he keeps on. I guess we’ve got him rattled. We’re much more focused on Mercedes. We’re trying to beat Mercedes, that’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get ourselves on to that level. "

Alpine currently sit 13 points clear of their Woking-based rivals in the constructors' championship this season. In fact, the French team have indeed had more consistent results compared to McLaren, who have struggled largely with pace.

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Fernando Alonso criticizes Alpine F1 over failed Suzuka strategy

Fernando Alonso has criticized Alpine over their failed strategy at Suzuka. He wanted to pit early during the Japanese Grand Prix but was instead asked to hold back for one more lap as the team was not prepared for a double stack.

While speaking to Motorsport.com later on, Alonso did not hold back his thoughts,

"The strategy didn't work for us. We made the wrong choices continuously. First, we stopped the last to put the intermediates, we lost places. Then we stopped too late for the second stop with six laps to the end, and I just finished in the same place that I was. I was asking to pit earlier on both occasions, but today my microphone maybe didn't work."

The French team and Alonso's partnership saw a dramatic turn during the summer break. He announced a shock move to Aston Martin without prior notice. The 41-year-old hadn't even informed the team principal, Otmar Szafnauer.

Further, Alonso also remains frustrated over his four DNFs throughout the season with the team. He claimed that it cost him several points and was critical of the car's reliability.