Fernando Alonso has described the intense close to the 2022 Dutch Grand Prix to be like qualifying when defending from cars on a fresher tyre compound to him. The Spaniard crossed the line in sixth place on Sunday afternoon, beating McLaren F1 Team‘s Lando Norris and helping BWT Alpine F1 Team score ten crucial points in the Constructors’ Championship.
Alonso was unlucky to start round fifteen of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship in thirteenth place, having failed to progress into Qualifying Three on Saturday. However, after getting past the Norris, the Scuderia AlphaTauri cars, and some other midfield runners, Alonso finished the race in the ‘best of the rest’ spot.
“It was a good race for us today finishing sixth and scoring more points in the standings. We lost a few places obviously at the start, but we made some ground back and stopped very early for the Hard tyre,” said the two-time World Champion.
“The pace of the car was good, and we continued to make progress. The only moment of the race where I felt we could relax a little bit was when we fitted the Softs and everything seemed set for us, but then the Safety Car came out and changed everything. We had to fight hard until the last lap with those behind us on fresher tyres and it was like a Qualifying session until the chequered flag.
“It’s a good result again for the team and my tenth points finish in a row, so let’s keep this up next weekend in Italy!”
Ten consecutive points finishes is certainly an impressive feat from Alonso, who has only finished outside the top ten on four occasions this year – though two of these were retirements. The number fourteen driver will be hoping to continue this streak as his contract with Alpine comes to a close, before switching to Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team for the 2023 season.
“I had a mega start” Says Ocon, who was pleased to score points on Sunday
Image: BWT Alpine Media Site.
Esteban Ocon was also able to score points at the Dutch Grand Prix, having started one position ahead of his team-mate on the starting grid. The Frenchman crossed the line in ninth place, just two-tenths of a second away from taking eighth from a penalised Carlos Sainz – who received a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.
Ocon’s believes the next event in Monza, Italy next week will suit the A522 car better, as the team continue to pull away from McLaren by four points in the Constructors’ Championship.
“I’m pleased to score points today and it was a nice recovery after disappointment in Qualifying on Saturday. We have also outscored McLaren again, which is positive in our fight in the Constructors’ Championship,” Ocon explained.
“On my side, I had a mega start, made up a few places in the early part of the race, which put us in position to score points. There’s always more you can do, so we’ll assess the things we can improve for next time to come away with even more.
“Another race is just around the corner and I’m already looking forward to Monza, a track that I love, and one that will likely suit our car better. We will push on!”
Alpine has looked a lot stronger than McLaren in recent races and will be hoping to score more points in Monza to hold their fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.