24 February 2022

With Esteban Ocon behind the wheel, BWT Alpine F1 Team completed over 100 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for Day 2 of the Barcelona shakedown.

 

The Frenchman was thus able to get a real sense for the A522, on the heels of the progress made by Dernando Alonso. Esteban completed a total of 125 laps while fulfilling much of the criteria set out by the team in the second official day of the season.

 

As of now, the team has completed 254 laps of the 4,655 km track. That’s more than 1,000 kilometres, or the distance between the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the Viry-Châtillon engine plant.

 

The distance covered by BWT Alpine F1 Team the past two days is good sign in terms of reliability, despite the usual setbacks associated with F1 testing. Tomorrow, Fernando will be driving the morning session, before Esteban steps in for the afternoon.

 

Esteban Ocon:

 

“This was my first real day with A522. What an incredible feeling to complete so many laps in a Formula 1 car! It was a perfect introduction to the car, which was fitted with the right tyres for those specific conditions. Our primary goal for both days was to add mileage, and completing over 100 laps is thus very encouraging. We tried so many things to figure out what needs tweaking. We have a clear plan for the specific areas in need of improvement, which is always the first goal for the pre-season testing. We’re off to a great start, and I can’t wait to learn more tomorrow.”

 

Alan Permane, Sporting Director for BWT Alpine F1 Team:

 

“It was once again a great day. We spent the morning fine-tuning the set-up, discovering more and more about the single-seater with each stint. We had a very promising test run in the afternoon. The car was reliable, aside from one minor interruption to replace a broken flat bearing. Otherwise, the new power unit and chassis worked like a charm. The track will be wet for the afternoon session on Pirelli tyres. Fernando will be back tomorrow to finish what he started on Wednesday. Esteban will later take over later in the wet conditions.”