Martin Bukowski, executive director of Alpine F, said he wasn’t sure until the last few corners whether Fernando Alonso’s one-stop strategy would be successful and secure the podium at the F1 Qatar Grand Prix.
The first F1 Qatar GP, combined with the high-speed corners of the Losail International Circuit and aggressive curbs, proved to be a major challenge for Pirelli’s F1 tires.
In the final, Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, McLaren’s Lando Norris, Williams’ George Russell and Nicholas Latifi tried a one-stop strategy that Pirelli considered “the limit”, but suffered a flat tire on the left front tire. rice field.
After the race, Pirelli said the four tire failures “may have been caused by high wear associated with long stints and high-speed contact with aggressive curbs,” and will begin investigations.
Alpine F1 Managing Director Martin Bukowski admits that Fernando Alonso’s left front tire was also severely degraded and was concerned about whether it would last.
Fernando Alonso and his teammate Esteban Ocon choose a one-stop strategy. Since winning the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix before the summer vacation, he finished in 3rd and 5th place, which is the best result of Alpine F1.
Alpine F1 knew that after the driver had come to one stopper, he couldn’t go back anymore and had instructed him to move away from the curb and manage the tires early on.
However, that cautious approach put Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon under threat from two-stopper Sergio Perez (Red Bull Honda). Perez managed to pass Ocon and started pursuing Alonso 5 seconds later. Finished in 4th place, 2.8 seconds behind.
“Everyone worked really hard to make the tires last a few laps, and I’m sure they were mentally tired,” said Martin Bukowski.
“I knew I wouldn’t get anything if I stopped. I managed these tires quite early on, but I also understood that it was important to avoid curbs and instructed the driver to do so.”
“On the last lap, I saw the mechanics jumping on the grid, but I thought,’No, no, no, there are a few more corners left.’ Honestly, whether it will succeed or not. It was a matter of a few corners. “
Martin Bukowski added that the only problem was the left front tire and he wasn’t worried about it from a safety standpoint.
“There were no safety concerns. A hole in the front tire would just lose the front end and slide,” Martin Bukowski explained.
“If you lose the rear tire, it can spin off the track, so the rear tire is a little different.”
“We were convinced that no one was at risk, of course, at risking our races and points.”
Fernando Alonso, who won the podium for the first time since 2014, said he wasn’t thinking about the possibility of a flat tire from the cockpit and thought he could still afford it.
“I don’t know, but I don’t think it was that bad for us,” Fernando Alonso said.
“Our car seems to be tire-friendly. We did a one-stop in Brazil last week. I think we could afford to keep pushing a little more. I never know what will happen.”
Category: Category: F1 / Alpine / Fernando Alonso
