"Easier to follow cars, but overtaking is still not as easy", opines Fernando Alonso after first proper F1 race in new cars

Fernando Alonso is of the opinion that following is easier in the new 2022 F1 cars after the regulatory changes. Overtaking, however, is another question altogether.

Alonso scored two points after securing P9 in last weekend's Bahrain GP. Speaking to the media after the race, the Spaniard tried to explain the difference between seeing it on TV and being on track by saying:

“Following was definitely easier. We spotted already in the test that it was easier to follow cars, but overtaking is still not as easy as it seems on TV. I think all the overtaking we saw today was because one car had two seconds more pace on newer tires than others.”

The 40-year-old went on to add, saying:

“I met cars that I was two seconds faster [than] and I overtook in a few corners. And I also met cars that were two seconds faster than me and they overtook me in two or three corners. I think the tire is the biggest differentiating factor still, not the following. So, we need to see, we need to drive more races.”

F1 brought in sweeping changes in hopes of encouraging closer wheel-to-wheel racing in 2022 and ahead. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Red Bull's Max Verstappen gave F1 fans the best example of this with two-laps of intense racing. The midfield even saw a flurry of overtakes by multiple drivers.

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"It's going to be a long game" – Fernando Alonso and Alpine will 'wait and see' how 2022 F1 season unfolds

Fernando Alonso is approaching the 2022 F1 season as if it were a marathon after admitting that he and Alpine are willing to 'wait and see' how it unfolds.

During an interview after pre-season testing in Bahrain, the two-time world champion was asked if he sees Alpine becoming frontrunners in 2022. Alonso said:

“It is an interesting question and we don’t have any answers yet. We have to wait and see how the first races develop and see what we need from the car and the package. I am optimistic because the team is putting a huge effort into this program. We have the support from our president, from everyone at Renault and Alpine who came last year into Formula 1 also with the mind of this set of regulations and trying to be a contender in the future.”

The Spaniard further added, saying:

“If that future will be 2022 or 2025, I have no idea. But there is this commitment and this view which I share and I embrace. Let’s see. It’s going to be a long game this year because the rate of development is going to be huge and there are 23 races.”

Both Alpine drivers picked up points in Bahrain but Alonso was fortuitous after both Red Bull cars dropped out in the dying stages of the race. It remains to be seen if Alpine will be fighting for points in the upcoming 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP.