F1 | Budkowski on the Alonso-Ocon pairing: “Fantastic pairing”

In a Q/A on the team's official website Alpine, Marcin budkowski spoke about the objectives for the 2021 season and the pair that will line up the transalpine team starting from Bahrain Grand Prix, a race scheduled for March 28th, highlighting how the duo formed by Fernando Alonso e Esteban Ocon guarantees the right mix of experience, speed, talent and desire for redemption.

As regards the car, however, the Polish engineer promoted with flying colors the work carried out during the winter by the technical department, highlighting how the team's focus was on the rear of the A521 and on recovering the aerodynamic load lost after the modification of the fund.

What are the expectations for the 2021 Formula 1 season?
The Covid pandemic caused the postponement of the new regulations to 2022 and many car components were frozen for 2021. This season therefore presents itself as a continuation of 2020. However, the FIA ​​has imposed some changes to reduce the load aerodynamic and protect the tires. We were therefore forced to develop the rear of the car again and we worked to improve every single aspect that was not already homologated.

Due to this relative stability of the rules, we do not expect major upheavals in the standings, but the differences are so minimal in the mid-table that we expect fierce battles on every circuit. We know that even small differences in performance can make a big difference in your final Championship position. We hope to start again in the wake of last season, especially the second half, in which we achieved three podium finishes, and to continue with this dynamic this year.

What challenges did the team have to prepare for this year?
The year that ended was, of course, difficult for everyone. From a Formula 1 perspective, we have had to deal with the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, but F1 organizations are agile and prepared to respond to challenges of this type. As soon as we were able to reopen the factory, we had to adapt to social distancing rules, with most of the staff working smart. This affected collaborative working, because we were no longer side by side to exchange ideas and work creatively, but we were able to adopt innovative approaches. We also had to adapt the way we operate to maintain our production capacity while safeguarding the health of our team members.

How does the team balance the 2021 season with preparations for 2022?
In addition to postponing the new regulation, at the beginning of 2020, it was also decided to temporarily impose a ban on aerodynamic development for 2022, both at the wind tunnel and CFD level, until January 1st. This has introduced interesting challenges, insofar as we have to be careful between the temptation to develop the A521 for as long as possible and ramping up the 2022 project. It's a balancing act faced by all teams, but these changes are of an unprecedented scale in F1, a fact which reinforces the importance of starting work early on the initial concept. All teams will face these decisions and it's fascinating to see where others will turn their attention to 2022 and the impact this will have on the current season.

The team has a new pair of drivers, what do you think of Fernando and Esteban?
A fantastic couple. Fernando has incredible motivation and it was truly impressive to see him behind the wheel with his engineers at the Abu Dhabi tests last year. He has all the professionalism of a highly experienced pilot, but he is as hungry as a young wolf. Esteban improved throughout last year and was rewarded with a well-deserved second place at the Sakhir Grand Prix. Esteban works hard and I expect him to take another step forward, as he will be able to capitalize on his experience in his second season with us. The important thing is that they work well together and with the team, as we want them to play a crucial role in the development of the car this year, while providing us with vital feedback to the simulator on the direction to take for 2022.