PROMISING SEASON OPENER AS BWT ALPINE TEAM LOOKS WEST TO SAUDI ARABIA

After scoring double points in the season-opening BahrainGrand Prix, the team heads 1,200km west to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for round two.Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry reviews the first race from the team’sperspective and offers his thoughts on the fast and flowing Jeddah CornicheCircuit.

What are the main takeaways from the season-opening racewhere both Esteban and Fernando scored points?

It’s always good to come away from the first race with bothcars scoring points and, just as importantly, learn more about how the carworks in full racing conditions. We ran reliably on both the chassis and powerunit when it counted with the odd hiccup here and there, which is expected atthe first race of the season. We have a solid base to build from now and we’llcontinue our learning this weekend.

What are the early assessments for cars following closelyas per the new regulations?

The main talking points in general for this race were thequestions surrounding overtaking and racing in general with the new 2022regulations. I think it’s too early to say just how much easier overtaking islikely to be, it certainly looks like the cars can follow one another much moreclosely without hurting the tyres especially in the corners, which is a goodstep in the right direction. Some of the action we saw in the race like theovertakes into Turn 1 and up to Turn 4 are simply a characteristic of theBahrain circuit. So, we will have to see what it’s like in Saudi Arabia thisweekend and beyond before making any conclusions.

Why did we see so many pit-stops in the race and do weexpect that trend to continue?

Firstly, huge credit to the pit crew for running sixfaultless pit-stops in the race. It’s been a while since we’ve experienced somany stops in one go and it provided an added element for the strategists tofigure out the best way possible to be competitive in the race. Tyredegradation was high for all teams in Bahrain and we entered the race knowingit was close between being a two or a three-stop race. For Jeddah this weekend,we will assess the severity of tyre degradation during practice. Last year inJeddah, it was a safe one-stop before the red flags, so our expectation isit’ll be much more conventional in Saudi Arabia given the nature of the trackbut that will be part of the learning on Friday.

How challenging is the Jeddah street circuit and do wehave upgrades to the A522 coming this weekend?

It’s a completely different track to Bahrain as it’s lowerdownforce and much higher average speed with the added threat of the walls.It’s one the drivers do enjoy as it’s fast and very exciting. We don’t have anydistinct upgrades for Saudi Arabia but we will run some interesting test itemsin practice, which will give us some ideas for future concepts. As it’s a lowdownforce circuit, we will have a different rear wing for this weekend andEsteban will return to the latest spec sidepod after the issue from last week.We have a development plan in place and we are pushing ahead as hard as we canfor the Melbourne race and beyond.

Day in the life of--- Katie Goodwill, CNC machinist

What are you responsible for in your job? What does thatinvolve, what do you do, who with?

I am a skilled engineer, currently a CNC machinist for BWTAlpine F1 Team. I am responsible for making parts for the A522, correct to anengineering drawing. My job involves setting up machine tools, creatingprograms on the machine to remove areas of material from a stock bar to producea component. I work in the machine shop on the turning section with five of mycolleagues. My job is very fast paced as the parts need to be manufactured intime for the next race weekend. It is a really fun and thrilling career.

Describe a typical day in your job.

The first task is to select the job that has the highestpriority and needs machining straight away. I will then check material stock toensure the part can be made, next I will create a program and build toolingthen manufacture the component. Finally, I will inspect the part to ensure itis correct to the technical engineering drawing before sending the part to thenext operation.

How did you get the job? What is your background and whydid you take this job?

I completed a practical apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce plc inthe aerospace industry. I did various machining roles within the company, bothmilling, turning and grinding. I applied for the job at BWT Alpine F1 Team andwas lucky enough to be successful. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. Iwanted to challenge myself; moving home, making new friends and learning thefast paced job in the motorsport industry, my job is very rewarding.

What is your most memorable moment…

In 2016 I won the Gold Medal in the CNC Turning at the WorldSkills UK competition; I think it is a great achievement to be the first girlto win. By biggest achievement is getting the machinist job at BWT Alpine F1 Teamas I was the first women in the machine shop.

And the worst part of your job…?

The workload and pressure can be challenging, resulting inwork colleagues being stressed. The atmosphere can be difficult to work in attimes. However, I try to keep positive and encourage high morale within theteam.

The best part of your job then…

My most memorable moment was at the start of February 2022testing, my manager asked me to manufacture a job in a specific time frame asit needed to be on a plane to Barcelona for the test the same day. The pressurewas exciting and the achievement was instantly rewarding.

What do you do after work? How do you unwind?

I play for a local netball team midweek and walking my dogin the evenings after work. I have a campervan and enjoy travelling at theweekends – I love being outdoors.

What do you do before going to sleep?

Watch a film or series with a brew and a biscuit.

Plan B… If you weren’t doing your job, what would youhave done instead?

I really enjoyed the practical subjects at high school, Ialways knew I wanted a ‘hands-on’ career as I have a desire to achieveperfection. I would be a jewellery maker to bring together beauty andprecision.

Strong start

Esteban Ocon left Bahrain with his highest points total in aseason opener of his Formula 1 career. He now shifts focus to Saudi Arabia, aplace that last year saw the Frenchman narrowly miss out on his third-everFormula 1 podium. Esteban Ocon Race Driver #31

How would you summarise your Bahrain Grand Prix?

In terms of points in an opening race, Bahrain was my bestperformance since I started in F1 so that is definitely a positive. Doublepoints for the team made Sunday even better and when you compare our openingrace last year, there is much to be happy about. Other than my incident withMick early on in the race, I was happy with how Sunday went overall. But ofcourse, this is only race one and my focus now is to work team to find those areasof improvement and further understand our new car to stay as competitive aspossible.

We’re going back to Jeddah this week. How do you feelabout the track after having experienced it for the first time last year?

It’s great that we are racing so soon after Bahrain and itwill be key to carry this positive momentum into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prixweekend. It was great to finally drive the A522 in racing conditions and verymuch looking forward to doing it all again in just a few days in Jeddah. We racedthere not too long ago so the track isn’t as unknown to us drivers as it waslast year. It’s a fun and fast track, similar to Baku for example, wheredrivers and cars are pushed to the limit, and one small mistake can really costyou. Personally, I really enjoy driving there and just missed out on the podiumlast year. It will be great to be back and we’ll push for another solidweekend.

How will you prepare for the race? Anything you will dodifferently this year now that you know the track well?

Preparation is always key but especially for a race likethis. I need to make sure I am well rested and focused going into Friday as itis a demanding circuit with high speeds, a lot of chicanes and fast cornerswith walls always in very close proximity. All these corners present achallenge for the engineers to work out the best set up for this new car. Butwe’ll work together to maximise our package and already looking forward tobeing back on track with the team.

We go again!

Fernando Alonso scored his first world championship pointsof 2022 last weekend, after a hard-fought season opening Bahrain Grand Prix.The Spaniard sets his gaze on further improvements and a strong race for roundtwo at the high-velocity Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

You scored your first points of the championship lastweekend, are you happy with your start to the campaign?

Both cars scored points which is the main thing for us fromthe first race. Last year we didn’t score any in Bahrain, so it’s already animprovement. I think we showed good pace for most of the weekend, but westruggled with tyre degradation during the race, and this impacted our racequite a lot. Nonetheless, we need to evaluate all of this data and try andimprove on this going forward, as it’ll no doubt be a challenge at other racesthis year.

What sort of developments are the team working on rightnow?

The competition in Formula 1 is not only on track but off ittoo. At Enstone and Viry we have to focus on what’s ahead and continue to bringupdates to our cars, so we can not only stay where we are, but make stepstowards the front. The team is working so hard at both factories and at thetrack too. It’s a pleasure to see this all coming together and I’m really happywith what we’ve achieved so far. There were some long hours for all of the teamover the last few weeks and they deserve credit for this. But this is only justthe beginning!

Tyre wear was a big topic for everyone in Bahrain. Do youthink we’ll see the same in Jeddah?

Bahrain is always tough on tyres but with the new cars itseems even more so this year. The high tyre wear has provided some moreexciting racing for the fans because each car is at a different level ofdegradation during a Grand Prix, so it means there can be quite big performancedifferences on track. This combined with it being easier to follow the carsahead and we have some quite interesting battles on track. We are expectingtyre wear to be an issue throughout the season, but it’s too early to tell ifwe will experience these problems in Jeddah. Whoever can get on top of thisissue faster will be in a good position.

Doohan and Caldwell determined to bounce back afterBahrain misfortune

Alpine Academy Alpine Academy duo Jack Doohan and OlliCaldwell have their sights set on Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this weekend as theyaim to bounce back from a mixed weekend in Bahrain at the season opening FIAFormula 2 round.

Jack scorched to a sensational pole position in Friday qualifyingbut, from there, the remainder of the weekend proved challenging. TheAustralian, making his on[1]track debut in Alpinecolours, finished tenth in the reverse grid Sprint Race. In Sunday’s FeatureRace, Jack was well in the mix for a top three finish before a collision whileexiting the pit-lane put paid to those hopes as he salvaged the final point intenth place.

Olli qualified seventeenth on the grid, finishing nineteenthin Saturday’s Sprint. Olli then finished seventeenth in a Feature Race filledwith positive learning, which the Briton will take forwards to Saudi Arabiathis weekend, for round two of the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

Olli Caldwell FIA Formula 2 Championship, Campos Racing

I’m looking forward to getting back on track this weekend inJeddah. There was a lot of untapped potential in Bahrain, so it is good to beable to drive again so soon and learn from the previous weekend. The track isvery difficult but luckily I was able to get some experience there last yearand I am excited to see what the weekend has to offer.

Jack Doohan FIA Formula 2 Championship, Virtuosi Racing

I’m really keen to race in Saudi Arabia this weekend. Iloved the circuit last year, which was my first time in an F2 car, and it wasawesome. I’m looking forward to going there with more experience this time.There have been some modifications to the circuit, so we’ll see what that doesfor racing. The aim is to redeem ourselves for this weekend as we have someunfinished business from Bahrain as it did not go to plan in the races. Thefundamentals are there. We’re fast, we have good pace and now we have to put itall together.

SAUDI ARABIA GRAND PRIX FACTFILE

······Oscar Piastri collected two winsin Saudi Arabia last year, en route to winning the 2021 FIA Formula 2Championship just a week later in Abu Dhabi.

Esteban Ocon

Starts – 1

Points - 12

Average Points – 12

Fastest Qualifying – 9

Fastest Lap – 0

Best Finish – 4

Best Grid Position – 9

Fernando Alonso

Starts - 1

Points – 0

Average Points – 0

Fastest Qualifying – 13

Fastest Lap – 0

Best Finish – 13

Best Grid Position – 13

Renault-powered cars in Saudi Arabia

Starts - 2

Wins - 0

Podiums - 0

Pole Positions - 0

Fastest Laps - 0

Total points - 12

Last season’s team result

Alonso

Grid – 13

Race – 13

Ocon

Grid – 9

Race – 4