Fernando Alonso will remain with the Alpine F1 Team for the 2022 Formula 1 season, and he feels at home with the team that has been a big part of his career.
Alonso has raced for the team twice before under its former guise of the Renault F1 Team, with the Spaniard claiming consecutive World Championship triumphs with them in 2005 and 2006.
And now the forty-year-old has committed to another season with Alpine alongside the already confirmed Esteban Ocon having joined the team ahead of the current campaign after two years away from Formula 1.
“I’m very happy to confirm the contract extension with Alpine F1 Team into 2022,” said Alonso. “I felt at home the moment I returned to this team and have been welcomed back with open arms.
“It is a pleasure to work again with some of the brightest minds in our sport at Enstone and Viry-Châtillon.”
Alonso admits it has been a tricky season for Alpine so far, but they have been making good progress during 2021. Alonso finished fourth in the Hungarian Grand Prix just before the summer break, with his defensive driving against Lewis Hamilton enabling Ocon to take his maiden Formula 1 victory.
“It’s been a tricky season for everyone, but we’ve shown progress as a team and the result in Hungary serves as a good example of this progression,” said Alonso. “We’re targeting more positive memories for the rest of this season but also crucially from next year onwards with the new regulation changes coming into Formula 1.
“I have been a big supporter of the need for a level playing field and change in the sport and the 2022 season will be a great opportunity for that. I am looking forward to the rest of this year and racing alongside Esteban in 2022 for Alpine.”
“We are very pleased to confirm Fernando for next season” – Laurent Rossi
Laurent Rossi, the CEO of the Alpine F1 Team, says he is pleased to confirm Alonso for another season with the team, and he feels the line-up of the Spaniard and Ocon is amongst the strongest on the whole Formula 1 grid.
Alonso re-joined the Formula 1 grid ahead of the 2021 season after two years away racing in other categories, and the Spaniard has once again shown how good he is behind the wheel of the A521, which has not been a front-running car this year.
And Rossi says Alonso’s performance and commitment to the racing can only benefit the team as they look to hit the ground running in 2022 when Formula 1’s new aerodynamic regulations come into effect.
“We are very pleased to confirm Fernando for next season, partnering with Esteban,” said Rossi. “For us it is a perfect driver line-up, amongst the strongest on the grid. It works in a hugely complementary way, with both offering raw talent and speed, yet impeccable team spirit that delivered our first win in Hungary.
“Fernando has impressed us all since he returned to the sport at the beginning of this year. His dedication, teamwork and focus to extract the maximum from the team is incredible to be a part of and certainly special to witness. His performance in Hungary was another example of his racing pedigree and reminded everyone how skilled a driver he is.
“I am convinced we can benefit strongly from Fernando’s insight and experience as we enter the final development and optimization phase of the 2022 chassis and power unit. He is just as hungry as we are for success and is putting in every effort to translate it to performance.
“For now, however, we need to focus on delivering a strong second half of the year, extract the maximum at every race and ensure we finish as high up in the constructors’ standings as possible. This will put us in a golden position for next year and the significant opportunity it brings.”
