Alonso and Ocon seeking answers on Alpine's US GP F1 struggles
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon are hopeful their Alpine Formula 1 team "can find some answers" why it was struggling so much in the United States Grand Prix.
Both drivers retired from Austin's race after issues with the rear of their respective cars, but even before that point it soon became a race to forget.
Ocon sustained front wing damage on lap 1 after contact with Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi and lacked the pace to recover much ground, while Alonso was stuck battling Giovinazzi and the other Alfa Romeo car of Kimi Raikkonen for the final point in 10th.
It was also the first time since Monza neither Alpine car reached Q3, although it wasn't helped by Alonso's back of the grid start following an engine change.
Nevertheless, Alonso hopes his team can find out why it struggled so badly at the Circuit of the Americas, both over one lap and in the race.
"Hopefully we can still find some answers," Alonso said.
"I think in the race, the car was much better, I felt more competitive, definitely I was faster than Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, even Tsunoda.
"In free practice, we were not as quick as we were today, so it was a nice step forward in the race but it's still not as good as Sochi or Turkey, so we need to keep analysing.
Nicholas Latifi, Williams FW43B, battles with Esteban Ocon, Alpine A521
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
"Probably the bumps, the suspension is very specific what you run here in Austin because the characteristics of this circuit, so it's something that we didn't get it right, and we will try to analyse and be in our top form in Mexico."
Ocon added he didn't expect Alpine would struggle after being reasonably competitive after the summer break.
Austin ended a run of 15 consecutive points finishes for the Enstone team, the last non-score coming in Bahrain's season opener.
"We didn't expect to struggle obviously as much as that," he admitted. "We had to fight the car quite hard through practice, but we did good improvements all the way through every session.
"Qualifying was not as good as what we hoped but we improved it a lot from FP1, and in the race, big struggle again.
"We need to analyse and come back stronger from it. But it's a track on its own, I would say the track is very rough in comparison to all the places. It's quite bumpy. So there's many aspects that we will look into."
Related video
Horner: Perez's F1 performances boosted by Red Bull set-up breakthrough
F1 team bosses see no alternative to power unit grid penalties
The code of conduct debate prompted by the Alonso/Raikkonen marginal call
Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen's clash in Austin has thrust the debate about rights and wrongs of wheel-to-wheel combat firmly into the public spotlight, prompting complaints about the Formula 1 rules process. But what can the FIA do to prevent the issue resurfacing?
How Ferrari gained a new edge over McLaren in the best-of-the-rest F1 2021 battle
Supremacy in the McLaren vs Ferrari fight over third place in the constructors’ championship has ebbed and flowed between the two teams so far in the 2021 Formula 1 season. But for several key reasons, right now it seems the advantage has swung decisively back to the Scuderia and McLaren knows it.
The 70s US superteam that tried and failed to crack F1
Vel’s Parnelli Jones Racing was briefly one of the biggest names on the US motorsports scene, but its ambition outstripped its resources. STUART CODLING relates the story of a Formula 1 campaign cut off in its prime
The key details that boosted Red Bull and held back Hamilton in Verstappen’s USA victory
As the 2021 Formula 1 title battle winds towards its climax, the United States GP added another thrilling act in the Lewis Hamilton-Max Verstappen battle. Although Hamilton aced the start, Verstappen and Red Bull took the initiative with strategy and were richly rewarded, despite Mercedes' best efforts as the race went down to the wire
On a baking hot afternoon at the returning Circuit of the Americas, Formula 1 drivers were tested to their limits. As the pressure on the title contending squads reaches an ever-greater level of intensity, the foremost challengers again showed their class, but were outshone by a standout drive from the upper midfield
Why F1's misunderstood party animal will thrive in retirement
Three years on from Kimi Raikkonen's last Grand Prix victory at Austin, he is now six races away from ending the longest Formula 1 career in history. His friend and former Ice1 Racing rally team PR man ANTHONY PEACOCK explains why there’s nobody quite like the 2007 world champion and why F1 will miss him (but he won’t miss it)
The 10 greatest drives of lost legend Jo Siffert
It's 50 years since Jo Siffert was killed in his prime at Brands Hatch. The Swiss scored just two world championship wins in a Formula 1 career spent largely with privateer teams, but showed on numerous occasions in single-seaters and in sportscars with Porsche that he could beat any of the best drivers of his era given the right equipment
Verstappen exclusive: How Red Bull’s ace has become F1 champion material
As Red Bull and Honda go all-out for victory in the Japanese engine manufacturer’s last season of its latest Formula 1 dalliance, Max Verstappen finds himself thrust into a compelling title fight with Lewis Hamilton. He told OLEG KARPOV about his evolution into a world championship contender and why Red Bull's no compromise ethos suits him down to the ground