2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix highlights

BWT Alpine F1 Team faced its first double retirement of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 season today as both Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon failed to finish the 2022 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix.

Both drivers retired in quick succession as the team looked to identify suspected power unit issues on both cars.

Heavy rain prior to the race brought a one-hour and five-minute delay to the start with both drivers beginning on Intermediate tyres. Fernando – on his 350th Grand Prix start, a Formula 1 record, lost a position to Lando Norris at the start and held sixth in the early running. After an early Safety Car, Fernando was defending from Max Verstappen for the sixth place before his retirement on lap 21.

Esteban started from seventeenth on Intermediates and looked to close towards the top ten. He retired from the race while running in thirteenth on lap 27.

The team will investigate the issues which brought its double retirement while heading to Suzuka for next weekend’s return of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso

It’s a pity to retire early from today’s race, which means we’ve missed some decent points in the championship. I think we can look at the positives and we can be very proud of our performance this weekend again. We fought for the top five and six positions on Saturday, similar to today’s race. It was a very tricky race under challenging conditions, and it was hard to see the dry line appearing on the track. We have another race coming next weekend, so at least we can shift focus immediately to Japan and get back into the points there.

Esteban Ocon

It’s been a frustrating day for the team. On my side, a power unit issue ended our race early and I know the team is currently investigating the exact cause of the failure. It is, of course, very disappointing to leave Singapore with a double retirement but the positive we can take away is that our car has been performing well all weekend, and we know we have a good pace. We race again next week in Suzuka, my favourite track on the calendar, so right now, we will dust ourselves down and come back stronger in Japan.

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal

Unfortunately, we had a double retirement from today’s Singapore Grand Prix, which is a pity as we’ve been very competitive all weekend. It looks like we suffered a similar power unit issue on both cars, which we will investigate in detail. We must identify the root cause of what happened and implement preventative measures to avoid a repeat. Regarding the progress of our race, it was challenging with the drying conditions, and we were about to enter a window where we could have made the call for dry tyres before our retirements. These days do happen in racing from time to time, and while it’s a disappointing feeling within the team now, we have another race next weekend in Japan where we have the opportunity to recover. As a team, we’ll take this one in our stride, and we already look forward to returning to Suzuka and racing at a fantastic circuit.

Alpine F1 Team best pictures:

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team A522. Singapore Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd October 2022. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A522 sends sparks flying. Singapore Grand Prix, Saturday 1st October 2022. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team. Singapore Grand Prix, Saturday 1st October 2022. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team A522. Singapore Grand Prix, Saturday 1st October 2022. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team A522. Singapore Grand Prix, Friday 30th September 2022. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

Fernando Alonso (ESP) Alpine F1 Team A522 on the grid. Singapore Grand Prix, Sunday 2nd October 2022. Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

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