Motorsports
How Alpine is building the champion of the future by staying true to Alonso
Alpine has a comfortable problem: building the career of the dazzlingly talented Oscar Piastri without losing Fernando Alonso, who performs exactly as he did when he was young.
Australian Oscar Piastri, a member of the Alpine Young Drivers’ Academy, is seen as one of the biggest talents of Formula One’s near future and a potential world champion, having won all the minor category titles from the start until last year in each of them .
He could be in one of Alpine’s two cockpits as early as this year – and with the French team having a contract with Esteban Ocon until the end of 2024, that cockpit could only belong to Fernando Alonso. However, the Spaniard prevented such a decision from Alpine for two very important reasons.
First and foremost, the two-time world champion does as well, if not better, in the years (2005-06) that he won his titles with the same team. Secondly, his very rich experience and excellent car analysis skills were very useful for the French team in this year’s major change in technical regulations.
Alonso has been beating Okon quite a bit this year and his ambition to give it his all for a third championship is pretty clear. With Alpine’s simultaneous need to put Piastri in a competitive position in 2023, the French team faces a serious dilemma.
Alonso, who will turn 41 next July, recently said he wants to stay in F1 for at least two or three more years. However, he was later asked about Oscar Piastri and asked about pressure from him.
“Obviously if I was 25, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, so it’s an age issue.”replied Fernando. “People try to find a way for new talent, but I think it has to do with everyone’s performance. And I think I did well last year. It’s a question of ability, not age. As I said earlier this year, I still feel competitive and fast and I’m enjoying it Formula 1.
So I imagine that I will run for another two or three years. When I’m with her alpine, It will be good. If I’m with another team, it will be good too. I will probably start these discussions in the summer.”, he added. But the truth is that it will be extremely difficult to find a more competitive cockpit than Alpine. His name has been heard for Aston Martin if Sebastian Vettel leaves but Silverstone’s team is in decline at the moment.
Lauren Rossi, CEO of Alpine, said: “For Fernando, it goes without saying that he will not set a limit for himself at the end of this year. It’s natural and as long as he continues to drive that well I would keep racing if I were him.
It’s still a bit early for us to place a guide anywhere in our group or other groups. We will continue to develop Oscar’s career through the program, nothing will change. It doesn’t matter if, but when Oscar will occur Formula 1. Then he should be as ready as possible. That’s the only thing that matters to me.”
If Alonso continues to perform as he did at 25, Alpine isn’t ruling out the possibility of putting Piastri in another team to take his next step and prepare for his sophomore climb to the highest level of riding at the Formula 1.
Commenting on the possibility, Rossi said: “If there is a solution that allows us to call him back, I can think about it. I do not reject this solution. You understand that I want to develop Oscar, I don’t want to let him sit on the bench forever. He must be ready when the day comes. And the day will come because he’s very talented, he’s absolutely worthy of one of the 20 places here. And I think he has the potential to be world champion in the future. I am absolutely convinced of that.
Until then, it is important to train as much as possible. (His lending) has always been a parameter for us. We knew last year that Fernando was paying off. And we would be very surprised if he lost his magical abilities in winter. So let’s be realistic. This is one of the scenarios we need to consider.
We discussed this with him and (Piastri manager) Mark Webber. It would be great to have Oscar as their future guide alpine For now we will climb to the top of the pedestal. For me, the ideal scenario would be to win victories and championships with us. We’re going to try to achieve that.”
At the moment there is no clear indication of a possible team that Alpine could put Oscar Piastri in next year. Parent company Renault doesn’t supply customer engines to any other team, but Rossi didn’t rule out that this would change over time. But even if it doesn’t change,” says Rossi.I wouldn’t have a problem working with a team that doesn’t have their own aggregates.” on the topic of piastri.
Source: sport 24
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.
Former Formula 1 driver Riccardo Patrese believes 19-year-old Kimi Antonelli has the chance to compete for the championship in his second season.
With changes to the technical rules, the power order in the starting lineup for the 2026 season may change significantly. Patrese added that Antonelli has already shown that he can be among the names to compete for the championship:
“If Mercedes builds the best car under the new rules, Antonelli should focus on fighting Russell, as he has already shown he can do, and the rest will follow,” Patrese said.
“To the championship title!” he replied when asked how far the young Italian could go next year.
If Antonelli manages to win the championship next season, he will become the first driver to win the title in his second season since Lewis Hamilton in 2008.
Patrese recorded Antonelli’s first year:
“He made his debut, had to learn everything and coped well with the inevitable mistakes that come with lack of experience. I really enjoyed it, he showed pure class moments.”
Antonelli took three podium finishes in his debut season, including an impressive weekend at Interlagos and a spectacular comeback at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
A 2002 McLaren MP4-17A will go up for auction at RM Sotheby’s in Paris in 2026. Competing in 12 Grands Prix, the chassis was driven by Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard, achieving five podiums and one victory. The estimated price of the land is between 1,000,000 and 1,400,000 Euros.
The car was designed under the guidance of the legendary Adrian Newey. Although the MP4-17 initially showed inconsistent performance, it was later able to compete with the dominant Ferrari F2002 and regularly achieve podium finishes.
Chassis number 6 appeared in the middle of the 2002 season and was mainly used by Raikkonen, who replaced Mika Hakkinen in the team. The Finnish driver immediately finished third in the European Grand Prix, followed by second in France and third in the USA.
In 2003, the same chassis updated and driven by Coulthard won the season opener in Australia, marking the Scot’s 13th and final Formula One victory.
The car’s last race was at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, driven by Raikkonen, who finished second behind Rubens Barrichello, also of Ferrari. That season the championship was won by Michael Schumacher, who finished eighth in the race.
The car retains its original 2002 West livery and Räikkönen number 4 and is powered by a 3.0-litre Mercedes-Benz FO110 V10 engine. A complete restoration is required for reuse on the track.
Following its racing career, the car was stored at McLaren for 17 years and was purchased by its current owner in 2021. For fans of the early 2000s, this land is a unique investment and historical value.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
About a year ago, Alpin decided to abandon Renault power plants and prefer Mercedes engines as of the 2026 season. The team came to the conclusion that its own engines had become a limiting factor in the fight for good results and sacrificed the status of the works team for the sake of customer cooperation with the German manufacturer, which was considered the favorite of the new technical regulations.
At the same time, the situation with Mercedes engines remains tense. Competitors are analyzing the possible use of thermal expansion to increase the compression ratio above the 16:1 limit in race conditions. While Honda, Ferrari and Audi may insist on breaches of the rules, Mercedes claims the rules were fully followed during static checks.
Despite the risks of the customer model, Enston is confident in the correctness of the choice. In 2026, the same engines will be used by McLaren, Williams and Mercedes factory teams, which will further intensify the competition. Of particular note is Williams, who finished the season under James Vowles in fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship, ahead of Alpine. This increases the pressure on the French team, but Pierre Gasly believes betting on Mercedes will allow them to compete at the front of the peloton from the start of Formula 1’s new era.
“We are opening a new chapter with Mercedes and given their CV and the number of championships, I am sure it will be a great adventure.”
“I’m not going to lie, I’m really excited about it. From what I hear, the Mercedes engine is in very good shape at the moment.”
“So I’m looking forward to the first test and the feeling that the Mercedes force is behind me. I have very high expectations for our team next year.”
“We made tactical sacrifices in 2025 so we can start 2026 on the right steps. I want to fight at the front of the peloton next season.”
“I don’t see any reason why we can’t be among the leaders at this point.”
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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