Alpine’s Otmar Szafnauer disappointed with lack of points in Monza: “We’ll come back stronger for Singapore”

BWT Alpine F1 Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer was dissatisfied to leave the Italian Grand Prix with no points to add to the tally, with Esteban Ocon finishing eleventh after starting fourteenth and Fernando Alonso retiring from sixth place on lap thirty-one with what is believed to be a water pressure issue. 

“We’re certainly disappointed not to have scored points at today’s Italian Grand Prix with Esteban narrowly missing out in eleventh and Fernando retiring from the race while in a competitive position.

“It looks like we lost water pressure on his car, which meant he had to stop, and we’ll do our normal investigations to find out the cause and the solution for the future.”

Szafnauer said that Ocon missed out on an opportunity to battle for a points position in the final laps with the race ending under safety car conditions, and hopes to see safety car procedures reviewed in order to avoid this in the future. 

“On Esteban’s side, he put himself into a strong position during his second stint – lapping one-second a lap quicker than those ahead – and would have been in contention for points before the final Safety Car at the end.

“It’s a pity the race did not end under a green flag, and I’m sure we can find better ways to improve the spectacle of racing in these kinds of scenarios.”

When it comes to the battle for fourth in the constructor’s championship, Szafnauer said that the team can be pleased with the haul of points they achieved during the triple header. Alpine has extended their championship lead since Belgium, having collected twenty-six points to McLaren F1 Team’s twelve. 

Szafnauer said that the team will be bringing upgrades to the Singapore Grand Prix, where they hope to continue their forward momentum. 

“As a team, we should reflect on the positives and, if we look across the triple header, we’ve come away with 26 points, which is a good effort and very valuable for the championship. We’ll come back stronger for Singapore at the end of the month where we have further upgrades coming to the car.”