Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi believes his Formula 1 team has the “perfect line-up” for the 2022 season after confirming Fernando Alonso for another year.
Alonso, who re-joined F1 this season, announced on Thursday that he would remain with the team next year when new technical regulations come into effect.
The Spaniard’s signature keeps him alongside F1’s most recent race-winner Esteban Ocon, who penned a multi-year extension with Alpine earlier this season.
Alonso has enjoyed a strong return to the sport in 2021, scoring points in all but three races so far.
“We are very pleased to confirm Fernando for next season, partnering with Esteban,” Rossi said. “For us it is a perfect driver line-up, amongst the strongest on the grid.
“It works in a hugely complementary way, with both offering raw talent and speed, yet impeccable team spirit that delivered our first win in Hungary.
“Fernando has impressed us all since he returned to the sport at the beginning of this year. His dedication, teamwork and focus to extract the maximum from the team is incredible to be a part of and certainly special to witness.”
Alonso was credited for playing a role in Alpine’s first F1 win at Hungary earlier this month, as he held off a resurging Lewis Hamilton for a number of laps while Ocon led the race.
Rossi believes Alonso’s Budapest performances showcased the skill level that he still possesses, and views his experience as a valuable asset ahead of F1’s new era in 2022.
“His performance in Hungary was another example of his racing pedigree and reminded everyone how skilled a driver he is,” Rossi commented.
“I am convinced we can benefit strongly from Fernando’s insight and experience as we enter the final development and optimization phase of the 2022 chassis and power unit.
“He is just as hungry as we are for success and is putting in every effort to translate it to performance.
“For now, however, we need to focus on delivering a strong second half of the year, extract the maximum at every race and ensure we finish as high up in the constructors’ standings as possible.
“This will put us in a golden position for next year and the significant opportunity it brings.”
