"Fernando is very good. The car… not so much", claims Alpine F1 source

An inside source in Alpine claims that while Fernando Alonso has definitely proven himself, the team's 2022 car is not performing as it should so far. The French team suffered reliability issues throughout the pre-season testing period in Barcelona.

Alonso rejoined the sport after a brief hiatus, citing that the 2022 regulations could potentially change the pecking order in the coming years. The team's plan to rise to the top steps of F1 has been hilariously dubbed 'El Plan' by fans and is the subject of several memes on social media platforms.

It seems that 'El Plan', however, is not going as Alpine would have hoped. Speaking to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo about their mediocre testing results, a team insider said:

“Fernando is very good. The car… not so much. there are things missing… things are missing.”

Fernando Alonso himself claims that the team has lost performance thanks to the new E10 fuel, which is a mixture of 90% fossil fuels and 10% ethanol. The two-time world champion told reporters in a press conference:

“We have made a good step forward in terms of power with our new engine. I hope we will be competitive at the level of the others. But we have lost performance with the new fuel, so we will also have to take this factor into account when talking about engine performance.”

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Fernando Alonso unsure of Alpine's current performance

Alpine was one of the teams that completed the least number of laps during the pre-season testing period in Barcelona. The new car even suffered a minor sealing issue in its hydraulic system, ending the team's session prematurely on Friday.

Speaking to Spanish radio station RTVE, Alonso expressed his uncertainty over the team's progress. He said:

“I don’t know if I’m satisfied yet with the performance of the car or not, because we are in the first days, but I’m happy in general with how things are going, to be in a new preseason, with the illusion of starting a new year, and hopefully the pandemic will also give us a break. I think the engine has been updated in many different areas, so, let’s see if we can be a little bit competitive on that side".

The French team had an above-average 2021 season, having placed fifth in the constructors' standings. Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon's stellar performances helped the team consistently score points in its first year with the new name. Fans are hoping that Alpine can find good form again in 2022 as older F1 fanatics would love to see the Fernando of yore stand on the top steps of the podium once again.