Alpine F1 head Otmar Szafnauer spoke about how the team handled after a poor sprint on Saturday, when Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon collided twice on the track to reason with their riders. Apparently the lesson was learned and the result was not long in coming – in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, the Spaniard took 5th place, and his partner – 8th.
Otmar Szafnauer: “After the Grand Prix, our business is already better than after the sprint. Now everyone is smiling again. This story should be a lesson for us and for those who didn’t want to play by the rules of the team on Saturday, because it will be better for everyone.
Racers are part of the team, on Sunday we earned a lot of points and everyone is happy. Why couldn’t it be the same during the sprint? During the briefing after that race, it was not me who spoke to them, but Laurent Rossi, and he rightly emphasized that Alpine F1 is a team with a thousand people at the base in Very and Enstone. They all work tirelessly to build these machines, to continually develop the technical innovations that the riders are always asking for. Esteban and Fernando are therefore also obliged to contribute to the common goal.
The task is to reach the finish line and earn points. Laurent reminded them that it is a privilege to be a Formula 1 driver because if they had held another position in the company and did such a thing, their act would have involved severe disciplinary action.
If we want to achieve the highest possible result for the team, the riders must not only think about themselves, sometimes they have to forget their selfishness. Imagine if they collided again on the track on Sunday, the team would lose 14 points. All this should be viewed from the point of view of efficiency, and through joint efforts we should help the team and not create problems for it.
When we talk about the tasks for the coming year, the most important thing is to make more progress compared to rivals. If the new car proves to be even more competitive, it will be easier for the riders. The good news is that in 2023 we will have two fast and still young drivers (Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly), who are already quite experienced professionals.
Alpine’s goal is to be one of the championship contenders by 2026, and we intend to achieve this. We have enough time.”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
