"It's going to be a long game" - Fernando Alonso says Alpine F1 is to 'wait and see' how 2022 pans out for the team

Fernando Alonso has been part of the F1 grid for close to two decades now. Despite that, when you hear the Spaniard talk, it does not seem like he's close to the end of his years in any which way. One of the key indicators is how Alonso is now willing to give the new project at Alpine its due time and not rush things.

This was evident in how Alonso talked about the 2022 F1 season as a long game when asked how he viewed Alpine's chances for the season. While speaking to the media after the Bahrain test, he was questioned on whether Alpine would be a frontrunner this season. The 40-year-old replied, saying:

“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.”

He further went on to speak about his relationship with the team, 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.”

Stressing further on why they need to give the season time to develop, Fernando Alonso used the 2021 F1 season as an example. Alpine did not score a single point in the first race of the season last year, yet went on to score many more in the latter races. He said:

“I remember here last year I retired the car and Esteban was P12 or P13 so zero points after Bahrain, and we won a race in Hungary and were enjoying the season. This year is going to be a long game to play and I’m confident we are going to have a good season.”

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Fernando Alonso is in the last season of his contract at Alpine

Regardless of the talk of a long game, Fernando Alonso is in the last season of his contract at Alpine. The Spaniard is in his 40s although it would be fair to say that he is still one of the top drivers on the grid.

Alonso's future is surely going to come into question as the season rolls on. Now, with the Spaniard willing to give the project time to grow, it will be interesting to see what decisions the Spaniard might eventually make for his future.