After a single practice session at the Austrian circuit, the Alpine F1 drivers were on the 18th and 19th lines of the protocol, but Renault factory team head Otmar Szafnauer says nothing is wrong. He also commented on the recent news that an American consortium will invest 200 million euros in exchange for a 24% stake in the team.
Otmar Szafnauer: “I’m not really worried about the results of the session, because during practice we first analyze the behavior of the car, collect information and don’t try to show impressive results in the lap. There is not much left for qualifying and we will definitely improve.
The good news is that we did a lot of laps – each of the riders completed 28 laps. After every session I ask Esteban Ocon the same question: “Can we go faster?” In response he winked at me – so we can!
Admittedly, during qualifying there can be problems due to traffic, especially at the start of the first session when all the cars are on track. It won’t be easy to ride a good circle, but everything is on an equal footing. We just have to do our job well and choose the right moments to release riders on the track.
For example, even in Canada, where the circle is not so short, Pierre Gasly was blocked by Carlos Sainz and our driver could not get into the second part of qualifying, although the speed of the car allowed him to climb to 6th position. So on the Austrian circuit it is also important to be able to drive a lap normally.”
Szafnauer also commented on the recent news that a consortium of investors, including Hollywood stars, has acquired a 24% stake in Alpine F1: “The reason for this investment is due to the fact that we need to modernize the infrastructure – between By the way, the FIA will soon deal with the issue of equalizing the infrastructure capabilities of the teams.
The funds received will allow us to acquire the tools necessary to compete on an equal footing with the top teams. Investors from Red Bird Capital and Otro Capital agree that this money should be spent on improving the team. In terms of infrastructure, we are somewhat inferior to larger teams, for example, our simulator, on which racers are busy, is already 15 years old, but a new one has already been ordered.
We don’t have equipment with which to test the brakes, although other teams do. We also do not have test benches for suspension systems. Unfortunately, all this is very expensive.
Of course, Renault can afford a Formula 1 team, but it’s always better if we have a degree of independence, especially as with Alpine F1’s new ownership structure, our investors will be able to receive some income in the future. interested in this.
They are excellent professionals in commercial matters, but we remain fully responsible for all technical aspects and at the same time we will be able to modernize the infrastructure of the team. But we must understand that the purchase and installation of some types of equipment takes time.
For example, a racing simulator takes two years from order to commissioning and the construction of a new wind tunnel takes two to three years. To invite the specialists you need, who have a lot of knowledge and experience, who know how to build machines that can win, you usually need three or four years.
Therefore, at one time we adopted a plan designed for a hundred races, and now only the first year and a half of work on this program is behind us.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
