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Alpine have big upgrade this weekend, with new wings, different sidepods and a new beam wing. The sidepod entry is much squarer – with greater vertical depth and protrudes less from the chassis – and also extends further forwards, the aim to reduce drag and better control the front-wheel wake.
Friday suggested it was working well – Fernando Alonso was up in fourth quickest, helped by a mistake by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who locked up on his best lap. Alpine were also running a low-drag set-up and Alonso was fastest of all down the main straight.
The two-time champion is keeping expectations well in check, however, after seeming similarly competitive Friday showings slip away when it mattered in recent race. “A good day,” Alonso said, “trying the new updates and some set-up changes that we are still analysing, some were positive and some not so good. We seem fast and let’s hope not to lose this competitiveness tomorrow.”
