The Spaniard, who wants to test his new car on November 22 at the Abu Dhabi tests, reiterates his weariness with the French team: “We are not ready.”
The abandonment in Mexico, the fifth due to a breakdown in his car, unleashed the most furious criticism of Fernando Alonso against Alpine. “This engine cannot finish the races, so we are not prepared. If you change six or seven engines throughout the year it is not just bad luck,” explained the two-time world champion at the Autdromo Hermanos Rodríguez. A weariness that seems to have accelerated the countdown to get into the Aston Martin. November 22, the date of the Abu Dhabi tests, already appears on the horizon, when the Asturian plans to get behind the wheel of the AMR22.
The Yas Marina tests, which take place two days after the last race of the World Championship, represent the first testing ground for the new season, both for riders changing scenery and for young rookies. They all get into last year’s single-seaters and use Pirelli tires for the next season.
A magnificent opportunity for Alonso, although in order to carry it out he would first have to free himself from his obligations and commitments with Alpine. While awaiting this official confirmation, the man from Oviedo has already launched a first notice from Mexico. “I am always master of my own destiny,” he advanced in statements collected by Autosport. This haste coincides with his notorious disenchantment with the orders of laurent rossi Y Otmar Szafnauertop managers of the French team.
Comparison with Honda
Alonso’s desperation became apparent on lap 66, when the lack of power from his A522 left him stranded at the end of the straight. At that time he was running in seventh place, fighting for a few points with which Alpine can still withstand the harassment of McLaren in the Constructors’ World Cup. “For 20 laps it was running on five cylinders, doing a ridiculous thing, with 20% less power. It finally broke, which was the best thing,” said the man from Oviedo, who had been losing almost two seconds per lap against Stephen Ocon.
With a couple of races to go, Ocon now leads him by 11 points, so Alonso could finish this World Championship behind his garage mate. A fact that has not occurred since 2007, during that convulsive season with Lewis Hamilton at McLarens. Fernando’s five breakdowns, six if we count the electrical problem that kept him out of the sprint race at the Austrian GP, have dramatically reduced his options.
In fact, according to the accounting that he handles himself, these 66 lost points should have propelled him to seventh place in the World Cup, ahead of lando norris. “Until the break, I was 20 seconds ahead of the McLarens and my teammate. My pace, up to that moment, I think was exceptional, as it had already been in Austin,” the Spaniard stressed.
In any case, the lack of reliability of the Renault engines brings to mind the infamous 2015 World Cup, when Alonso began his second career at McLaren. During that year, the continuous setbacks with Honda, supplier of the Woking team, turned into 72 penalty places on the grid. “The fact is that at that time the two cars stopped and this year all the problems are for car number 14”, Alonso concluded.