30/09/2022
NEWS STORY
BWT Alpine F1 Team finished with Esteban Ocon sixth and Fernando Alonso eighth in Friday Practice for the Singapore Grand Prix as Formula 1 returned to Marina Bay for the first time in three years.
It was a strong showing for the team under the lights around the 5.063km Marina Bay Street Circuit as both drivers ran inside the top ten across both Practice sessions with Esteban seventh in Free Practice 1 and sixth in Free Practice 2 while Fernando finished in tenth and eighth.
Fernando's first session finished earlier than anticipated as a gearbox oil leak was identified and he had to remain in the garage as a precaution after completing 11 laps.
Both drivers used the new spec, upgraded floor in Free Practice 2, which will continue on both cars through the remainder of the weekend.
Esteban Ocon: "There's really nothing quite like driving in Singapore and it's great to be back here after a few years. After both practice sessions today, it's again quite clear how much of a challenge this track is physically with the heat and humidity so I think most drivers will have been pleased with having those extra few days of preparation ahead of the race weekend. On track, we had a strong day testing the new upgrades and are relatively happy with how our programme went today. It's good to see that the track was not as bumpy as we perhaps thought it was going to be, especially with these cars. We look forward to coming back tomorrow and having another solid day to be in the best position for Sunday's race."
Fernando Alonso: "It was not an ideal day for us with some limited running in the first practice, after the issue with the gearbox. Generally, Free Practice 2 was good and even though we are a little behind schedule with the limited track time, I think we are in a good place and I'm quite confident for tomorrow. Our car upgrade seems to be working well so far, but we will continue to analyse all of the data tonight and tomorrow."
Matt Harman, Technical Director: "It's fantastic to be back here in Singapore even if it's extremely hot and humid! It's been an interesting day of Practice where we encountered an issue with Fernando's gearbox with a small oil leak identified. As a precaution we decided not to run again in the first session, and we'll investigate the root cause of the issue over the coming days as this is an unusual occurrence. His car was fitted with a replacement gearbox to ensure he could run in the second session. For Free Practice 2, both cars used the new, upgraded floor, which worked in line with our expectations. We have some work to do overnight and I look forward to seeing how tomorrow pans out. Overall, we're pleased with our performance level and we're in for a competitive weekend with both cars."
Check out our Friday gallery from Singapore here.