Alpine might just be one of the most curious cases on the F1 grid. The French team, based in the United Kingdom, has been through a bit of upheaval in recent times with the departure of team boss Marcin Budkowski in January 2022 and of course the rebranding from Renault to Alpine from 2020-2022 will have altered the perception of the team. But its 2021 campaign was solid, consolidating the fifth place it took in the 2022 championship and taking an incredible victory with Esteban Ocon at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

When we hear teams mentioned who could be in contention for the top positions in 2022, Alpine just doesn’t get mentioned. You hear McLaren, Aston Martin and Ferrari bounded around as teams that could make a jump. But no one seems to think that Alpine can. But they could be wrong, very wrong, in fact. Alpine have every bit a chance as their midfield rivals do to make a jump up the competitive order, although they might need to work a bit harder than the others in order to achieve that goal. But it is very much a possibility.

The Drivers At Alpine’s Disposal

Alpine F1 Cars F1 2021
via Autosport

One of the biggest assets that the Alpine team has going for it are its drivers. The team of course has Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso on its books. Going into 2021, many were unsure how strong a lineup this would be. Ocon had endured a tough 2020 against Daniel Ricciardo, although he was closer to the Australian come the season's end. And Alonso, despite having raced in other categories since he ‘retired’ from F1 in 2018, wasn’t expected to be able to relive that “glory days” of his previous stint at the Enstone based team, when they won two world titles as Renault.

The reality though could not have been further from the truth. Ocon hit the ground running and was initially showing up Alonso before the Spaniard found his feet again. The highlight of the year was of course Ocon’s fortuitous but well-earned win in Hungary, but other stand out performances came from Alonso in Qatar, where he finished third, and Ocon in Saudi Arabi, where he was unlucky to lose third right at the line to Valtteri Bottas. Alpine surely have the confidence that their driver pairing can get it done for them when it counts.

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A Well Rounded Operation

Esteban Ocon 2021 Saudi Arabia GP
via F1 Chronicla

Despite having only the fifth-fastest car based on championship position, Alpine did a very good job with what they had. Arguably, they did not have the fifth-fastest car on pure pace, with the Alpha Tauri likely being a quicker car. The problem Alpha Tauri had is it pretty much just had Pierre Gasly doing the heavy hitting point scoring, whilst Yuki Tsunoda often floundered in his rookie season. Ocon and Alonso became a very well oiled machine, able to bag some good points finishes, especially towards the end of the year.

The team as a whole seemed to operate very well. It got the strategy right with Alonso in Qatar to net him his first podium since 2014. It did the same thing with Alonso’s P6 finishes in the Netherlands and Russia, although had it not been for late rain increasing, Alonso could have ended up on the podium in the latter race. Once the team understood the car it had on its hands, Alpine were able to put in some very impressive and consistent performances. And that should not change come the 2022 season.

An Experienced Team Boss Coming In

Otmar Szafnauer Front View
via Formula 1

Losing Budkowski was not ideal news for Alpine. But it doesn’t look like they will be without a team boss for long. Just a few days prior, Aston Martin announced that team principal Otmar Szafnauer would be leaving the team. This came following months of rumors that Szafnauer would be leaving the Silverstone based team to head up the Alpine F1 squad alongside Davide Brivio. Whilst the rumors are not confirmed yet, that does appear to be what is happening. Szafnauer has a lot of F1 experience and knows how to run a team, having overseen Aston Martin through its guises as Force India and Racing Point. Alpine might have lost a boss, but they are gaining a very good one in return.

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Promising Signs For F1 2022

esteban-ocon-fernando-alonso-alpine-hungarian-gp-2021
via Planet F1

The only thing that could derail what Alpine achieve in 2022 is a poor car. But no one knows who will come out on top, its just that much of a lottery with the cars now being so different to what they were at the end of 2021. Williams could suddenly find themselves up front, and equally Mercedes could get themselves mired in the midfield. When it comes to the other ingredients, though, Alpine have a lot going for them. A great driver pairing, a well-rounded race operation and an experience team boss, supposedly, joining them sometime soon. Watch out for Alpine, they might cause a bit of a surprise.

Sources: Planet F1, F1 Chronicle, Autosport, Formula 1