Alpine F1 Team previews the nineteenth race weekend of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the São Paolo Grand Prix. Drivers Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso and Executive Director Marcin Budkowski share their thoughts on the Autódromo José Carlos Pace.
Esteban Ocon: “It’s been a couple of years since I raced in Brazil and I’ve always enjoyed racing there. The atmosphere is incredibly special as Brazilian fans are very passionate for Formula 1 and you can feel the legacy of Ayrton Senna there. The lap is short, quite fast and normally the weather in Brazil can throw some surprises, which we have to adapt to. We also have the Sprint Qualifying again this weekend and it’s a decent circuit for overtaking, so we’ll see what we can do this weekend. While I enjoy racing there, my results in Formula 1 haven’t reflected that, so hopefully this weekend I can score my first points in Brazil and also return to the points after not scoring in the last two races.“
Fernando Alonso: “Physically it’s a hard circuit to race on. It’s bumpy, the altitude is high again and the weather can be extremely unpredictable. There is always some drama in Brazil and so we have to be prepared for that, but it makes the whole weekend exciting as anything can happen. Obviously, the place brings back very good memories and it doesn’t feel like it was fifteen years ago that I won my second title there. We had a strong package that year, but as the season entered the latter stages the Ferraris were very quick and consistent. However, Michael (Schumacher) had a retirement in Suzuka, which was the round just before Brazil, and this meant we only needed one point to take the championship. In the end we delivered a good race to finish second and it was enough for the title. The feeling afterwards was amazing.“
Marcin Budkowski: “We saw in Mexico that the high altitude was quite challenging for our package and it hasn’t really worked in our favour compared to our competitors. Although our absolute performance wasn’t good and we underperformed in qualifying, we did manage the race quite well and salvaged a couple of points. Brazil is at a lower altitude than Mexico so we expect it to be less of an influence on our competitiveness, and it’s vital for us to have a strong weekend after we lost ground to our main competitors in the Constructors’ Championship. At this stage of the season, the performance of the car is generally pretty fixed across the grid, but we’ll see different results according to the characteristics of each circuit and which car they suit better. Every detail will count, and we need perfect execution, reliability, and consistency throughout the remaining four races.“
Back in Brazil
It’s been three years since Esteban Ocon last raced in Brazil. After showing promising pace on Sunday in Mexico, the Frenchman is looking ahead to racing at Interlagos and taking on Formula 1’s third Sprint Qualifying.
What do you like about racing at Interlagos?
It’s been a couple of years since I raced in Brazil and I’ve always enjoyed racing there. The atmosphere is incredibly special as Brazilian fans are very passionate for Formula 1 and you can feel the legacy of Ayrton Senna there. I love the passion and energy in Brazil, so it’s definitely good that we’re heading back there this weekend after missing out last year.
What are the main challenges of the circuit?
Interlagos is a unique circuit and it’s one of my favourites on the calendar as it’s a real mix of corners throughout. The lap is short, quite fast and normally the weather in Brazil can throw some surprises, which we have to adapt to. We also have the Sprint Qualifying again this weekend and it’s a decent circuit for overtaking, so we’ll see what we can do this weekend. While I enjoy racing there, my results in Formula 1 haven’t reflected that, so hopefully this weekend I can score my first points in Brazil and also return to the points after not scoring in the last two races.
Leaving Mexico, how are you feeling about the current performance?
I actually left Mexico feeling quite positive even if we didn’t score points. We were always up against it starting from the back of the grid and then we had some unavoidable lap one contact, so to work our way to thirteenth wasn’t too bad in the end. Our race pace was definitely an improvement since recent races, and we’ll continue to learn and improve. The on-track battles were fun and the target this weekend is to start fast on Friday, have a strong qualifying and then be in a position to score points come Sunday’s race.