Fernando Alonso I lost time due to box problems

Alpine riders in the top ten finished their second Singapore Grand Prix practice session with Esteban Ocon in sixth and Fernando Alonso in eighth. New bottoms were installed on both cars – the team was happy with the new products and will continue to use them for the remaining days of the weekend.

Esteban Ocon (6th): “Nothing compares to pilots in Singapore – it’s nice to be back on track after a few years. After today’s two sessions it is clear how tough the track is physically due to the heat and humidity. I think all the riders are happy that we had a few extra days of preparation before the weekend.

At the track we tested new items and we are quite satisfied with the work done. It’s nice that there aren’t as many bumps on the track as we thought. We are looking forward to tomorrow and will try to get as high a starting position as possible in the race.”

Fernando Alonso (8th): “It’s not a perfect day, because I lost time in the first practice due to gearbox problems. The second session went well, although I couldn’t quite catch up. However, I think we are in good shape and I am confident for tomorrow.

Apparently the novelties work, but in the evening and tomorrow we continue to analyze the information received.

Matt Harman, CTO: “It’s great to be back in Singapore despite the high heat and humidity! The day turned out to be an interesting one – in the first practice, Fernando’s car had an oil leak in the gearbox. As a precaution, we have decided not to travel in the first session. In the coming days we will find out what happened as this is an unusual phenomenon. For the second practice we changed his gearbox.

In the second practice, both riders got a new bottom, which worked according to our expectations. I have to analyze everything in the evening, but I already wonder what will happen tomorrow. Overall we are happy with the speed – both machines are competitive this weekend.