Fernando Alonso hopes Alpine's 2022 challenger is a 'game changer'

On February 21, Alpine launched their much-awaited 2022 challenger. Their driver Fernando Alonso is now hopeful that this new era of F1 will be a "game-changer" for the sport. The Spaniard, who made his comeback to F1 last year, also expects his new A522 will be right in the middle of it.

The 40-year-old retired from the sport at the end of the 2018 season and drove his last race for McLaren at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He later returned to the sport with Alpine to partner Esteban Ocon and even took his first podium in seven years at the inaugural Qatar Grand Prix.

As reported by GPFans, Alonso claimed that the new regulations, which were supposed to be applied last year, are what pushed him to return to the sport. He said:

“I came back to the sport in 2020 because of these regulations, so it has been one and a half years that we wait for these cars. I think the team did an amazing job in the last year building this car in Enstone, so we are all very motivated.”

Reflecting on the 2021 season, he added:

“It was an amazing season for Alpine in Formula 1, as I said with the victory and it also felt like we made a lot of progress. I think the team is now stronger than 12 months ago and we are ready for the challenge of this year.”

With the new set of technical regulations coming in 2022, Fernando Alonso has revealed that he is looking forward to this new era of closer, more competitive racing.

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"We are very motivated" – Fernando Alonso's faith in 2022 Alpine challenger

The two-time world champion has been very vocal about his expectations from the new regulations and what they will mean for the future of the sport. Fernando Alonso recently revealed that the French team is motivated to put together all the hard work from the past year into this season. He also expressed that he is happy with how the car looks and is positive that Alpine has a real challenger for the upcoming season.

As reported by MARCA, the Spaniard reiterated his faith in the team for the upcoming season, saying:

“It has been a year and a half of waiting for this car and I think the team did a wonderful job in the last year, building this car. We are very motivated. The car looks fantastic with the new regulations and I like the new livery. We have a new engine and we are sure we have made a good development for this new generation of single-seaters.”

With the first round of pre-season testing underway this weekend in Barcelona, the paddock is bursting with anticipation to see which teams have got the new regulations right and will be in the running for the championship this year.