Fernando Alonso believes that Alpine will only be able to claim a podium in 2022 if the front-running teams encounter issues. The regulation changes for 2022 were seen as a big opportunity for Formula 1's 'midfield' teams to make the step forward and challenge at the front of the grid. However, despite the drop in performance from Mercedes, the front of the field bares a resemblance to recent F1 seasons, with occasional hybrid-era race winners Red Bull and Ferrari emerging as fastest in 2022. Alpine and McLaren have established themselves at the head of the midfield pack once again, but two-time F1 World Champion Alonso is doubtful about their ability to challenge for podiums on pure pace this season. "Obviously we need some help from the top three teams in front of us, but we always see one or two retirements from them," Alonso told media, including RacingNews365.com . "We saw in Austria Checo [Perez] had the problem, a few races ago Carlos [Sainz] and Checo had problems as well, so there is always that possibility of a top five or top six [position] available. "As we saw in Silverstone in the last couple of laps, anything can happen in front of you. The podium is just there, so I'm feeling positive. "From our point of view, the second part of the season is quite optimistic in terms of performance and if we deliver some clean weekends we will score big points."
Alonso prepared for "nice fight" against McLaren
Alpine are currently fourth in the Constructors' Championship on 99 points, just four ahead of McLaren. The Enstone-based team have had a better-performing driver pairing, but strong performances from Lando Norris have kept McLaren in the race for fourth place. Looking ahead to their battle with McLaren over the rest of the season, Alonso highlighted the importance of consistent double-points finishes. "It's going to be interesting. I think we've been a little bit faster than them this year, but they are very strong on Sundays," added Alonso. "They always deliver the maximum available, especially with Lando who is scoring points every weekend, so we just need to outscore them with the two cars if possible. "It's going to be a nice fight, but I feel optimistic that we are trying to be faster than them."
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