BWT Alpine F1 Team previews the fourteenth race weekend of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Belgian Grand Prix.
Drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso and Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer share their thoughts on the fourteenth race of the season at Spa-Francorchamps.
Otmar Szafnauer: "We are all feeling re-energised after the enforced Formula 1 summer shutdown. It's always a good time to take stock on the season so far, reflect on the positives and assess some of the areas for improvement. Now, we are all feeling ready and motivated for the second part of the season where there is so much to play for in terms of the championship. Clearly the team has been quite prominent in the world media in the days after Hungary and just before the summer break, however, it is absolutely no distraction for us once we hit the race track again. While we're losing a fantastic asset in Fernando for next year, his decision has zero bearing on what we want to achieve together in 2022. We'll be pushing hard as a team - with both Fernando and Esteban in the car for the remainder of the year - in order to put ourselves in the best possible position to meet the aforementioned targets for this championship season. I know both drivers are highly motivated so we're all looking forward to channeling that energy on track."
Esteban Ocon: "Spa is a place that I know most drivers really enjoy driving at, including myself. It's even more special for me as it is where I made my Formula 1 debut in 2016. It was a moment I'll never forget, a moment where a dream came true. In terms of performance, there's been some good results in the past like when I qualified third in 2018 and when we finished fourth and fifth in the race in 2020. It's also the track where we also lost Anthoine a few years back. We are always racing with him in our thoughts and I still personally think about him every day."
Fernando Alonso: "We all miss racing in August but the time off to recharge the batteries is needed. After 20 years of racing at the pinnacle of motorsports, I have learnt that taking some time to recover is very important, especially during such a hectic year. Now that we have more than 20 races in a season, it's even more important to make sure you maximise your recovery time. But it's important to keep some exercise routine, as once we get back to racing it's relentless until December. I do enjoy racing at Spa. It's one of the most historic races on the calendar. We usually have interesting races there as the circuit lends itself to lots of overtaking opportunities."
2022 Belgian Grand Prix Factfile:
- Fernando Alonso has scored eight consecutive top ten race finishes, with the highest position being fifth at the British Grand Prix.
- Alpine has scored points in nine consecutive races in 2022.
- Esteban Ocon made his Formula 1 debut with Manor at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.
- Esteban has reached Q3 in all but one of his six qualifying sessions in Spa. He also recorded the best qualifying result of his career to date with third on the grid at the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix.
- This is the longest track on the calendar, with a track length of 7.004km
- The first Belgium Grand Prix was in 1950 and there have been 28 different drivers that have won a race at the track.
- Renault-powered cars have had eight wins, 28 podiums, and nine poles, and ten fastest laps and 457 points in Belgium.
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