PROMISING SEASON OPENER AS BWT ALPINE TEAM LOOKS WEST TO SAUDI ARABIA

What are the main takeaways from the season-opening race where both Esteban and Fernando scored points?

“It’s always good to come away from the first race with both cars scoring points and, just as importantly, learn more about how the car works in full racing conditions. We ran reliably on both the chassis and power unit when it counted with the odd hiccup here and there, which is expected at the first race of the season. We have a solid base to build from now and we’ll continue our learning this weekend.”

What are the early assessments for cars following closely as per the new regulations?

“The main talking points in general for this race were the questions surrounding overtaking and racing in general with the new 2022 regulations. I think it’s too early to say just how much easier overtaking is likely to be, it certainly looks like the cars can follow one another much more closely without hurting the tyres especially in the corners, which is a good step in the right direction. Some of the action we saw in the race like the overtakes into Turn 1 and up to Turn 4 are simply a characteristic of the Bahrain circuit. So, we will have to see what it’s like in Saudi Arabia this weekend and beyond before making any conclusions.”

Why did we see so many pit-stops in the race and do we expect that trend to continue?

“Firstly, huge credit to the pit crew for running six faultless pit-stops in the race. It’s been a while since we’ve experienced so many stops in one go and it provided an added element for the strategists to figure out the best way possible to be competitive in the race. Tyre degradation was high for all teams in Bahrain and we entered the race knowing it was close between being a two or a three-stop race. For Jeddah this weekend, we will assess the severity of tyre degradation during practice. Last year in Jeddah, it was a safe one-stop before the red flags, so our expectation is it’ll be much more conventional in Saudi Arabia given the nature of the track but that will be part of the learning on Friday.”

How challenging is the Jeddah street circuit and do we have upgrades to the A522 coming this weekend?

“It’s a completely different track to Bahrain as it’s lower downforce and much higher average speed with the added threat of the walls. It’s one the drivers do enjoy as it’s fast and very exciting. We don’t have any distinct upgrades for Saudi Arabia but we will run some interesting test items in practice, which will give us some ideas for future concepts. As it’s a low downforce circuit, we will have a different rear wing for this weekend and Esteban will return to the latest spec sidepod after the issue from last week. We have a development plan in place and we are pushing ahead as hard as we can for the Melbourne race and beyond.”

Day in the life of…Katie Goodwill – CNC Machinist

What are you responsible for in your job? What does that involve, what do you do, who with?

“I am a skilled engineer, currently a CNC machinist for BWT Alpine F1 Team. I am responsible for making parts for the A522, correct to an engineering drawing. My job involves setting up machine tools, creating programs on the machine to remove areas of material from a stock bar to produce a component. I work in the machine shop on the turning section with five of my colleagues. My job is very fast paced as the parts need to be manufactured in time for the next race weekend. It is a really fun and thrilling career.”

Describe a typical day in your job.

“The first task is to select the job that has the highest priority and needs machining straight away. I will then check material stock to ensure the part can be made, next I will create a program and build tooling then manufacture the component. Finally, I will inspect the part to ensure it is correct to the technical engineering drawing before sending the part to the next operation.”

How did you get the job? What is your background and why did you take this job?

“I completed a practical apprenticeship at Rolls-Royce plc in the aerospace industry. I did various machining roles within the company, both milling, turning and grinding. I applied for the job at BWT Alpine F1 Team and was lucky enough to be successful. This was an opportunity of a lifetime. I wanted to challenge myself; moving home, making new friends and learning the fast-paced job in the motorsport industry, my job is very rewarding.”

What is your most memorable moment…

“In 2016 I won the Gold Medal in the CNC Turning at the World Skills UK competition; I think it is a great achievement to be the first girl to win. By biggest achievement is getting the machinist job at BWT Alpine F1 Team as I was the first women in the machine shop.”

And the worst part of your job…?

“The workload and pressure can be challenging, resulting in work colleagues being stressed. The atmosphere can be difficult to work in at times. However, I try to keep positive and encourage high morale within the team.”

The best part of your job then…

“My most memorable moment was at the start of February 2022 testing, my manager asked me to manufacture a job in a specific time frame as it needed to be on a plane to Barcelona for the test the same day. The pressure was exciting and the achievement was instantly rewarding.”

What do you do after work? How do you unwind?

“I play for a local netball team midweek and walking my dog in the evenings after work. I have a campervan and enjoy travelling at the weekends – I love being outdoors.”

What do you do before going to sleep?

“Watch a film or series with a brew and a biscuit.”

Plan B… If you weren’t doing your job, what would you have done instead?

“I really enjoyed the practical subjects at high school, I always knew I wanted a ‘hands-on’ career as I have a desire to achieve perfection. I would be a jewellery maker to bring together beauty and precision.”

Strong start

Esteban Ocon left Bahrain with his highest points total in a season opener of his Formula 1 career. He now shifts focus to Saudi Arabia, a place that last year saw the Frenchman narrowly miss out on his third-ever Formula 1 podium.

How would you summarise your Bahrain Grand Prix?

“In terms of points in an opening race, Bahrain was my best performance since I started in F1 so that is definitely a positive. Double points for the team made Sunday even better and when you compare our opening race last year, there is much to be happy about. Other than my incident with Mick early on in the race, I was happy with how Sunday went overall. But of course, this is only race one and my focus now is to work team to find those areas of improvement and further understand our new car to stay as competitive as possible.”

We’re going back to Jeddah this week. How do you feel about the track after having experienced it for the first time last year?

“It’s great that we are racing so soon after Bahrain and it will be key to carry this positive momentum into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend. It was great to finally drive the A522 in racing conditions and very much looking forward to doing it all again in just a few days in Jeddah. We raced there not too long ago so the track isn’t as unknown to us drivers as it was last year. It’s a fun and fast track, similar to Baku for example, where drivers and cars are pushed to the limit, and one small mistake can really cost you. Personally, I really enjoy driving there and just missed out on the podium last year. It will be great to be back and we’ll push for another solid weekend.”

How will you prepare for the race? Anything you will do differently this year now that you know the track well?

“Preparation is always key but especially for a race like this. I need to make sure I am well rested and focused going into Friday as it is a demanding circuit with high speeds, a lot of chicanes and fast corners with walls always in very close proximity. All these corners present a challenge for the engineers to work out the best set up for this new car. But we’ll work together to maximise our package and already looking forward to being back on track with the team.”

We go again!

Fernando Alonso scored his first world championship points of 2022 last weekend, after a hard-fought season opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The Spaniard sets his gaze on further improvements and a strong race for round two at the high-velocity Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

You scored your first points of the championship last weekend, are you happy with your start to the campaign?

“Both cars scored points which is the main thing for us from the first race. Last year we didn’t score any in Bahrain, so it’s already an improvement. I think we showed good pace for most of the weekend, but we struggled with tyre degradation during the race, and this impacted our race quite a lot. Nonetheless, we need to evaluate all of this data and try and improve on this going forward, as it’ll no doubt be a challenge at other races this year.”

What sort of developments are the team working on right now?

“The competition in Formula 1 is not only on track but off it too. At Enstone and Viry we have to focus on what’s ahead and continue to bring updates to our cars, so we can not only stay where we are, but make steps towards the front. The team is working so hard at both factories and at the track too. It’s a pleasure to see this all coming together and I’m really happy with what we’ve achieved so far. There were some long hours for all of the team over the last few weeks and they deserve credit for this. But this is only just the beginning!”

Tyre wear was a big topic for everyone in Bahrain. Do you think we’ll see the same in Jeddah?

“Bahrain is always tough on tyres but with the new cars it seems even more so this year. The high tyre wear has provided some more exciting racing for the fans because each car is at a different level of degradation during a Grand Prix, so it means there can be quite big performance differences on track. This combined with it being easier to follow the cars ahead and we have some quite interesting battles on track. We are expecting tyre wear to be an issue throughout the season, but it’s too early to tell if we will experience these problems in Jeddah. Whoever can get on top of this issue faster will be in a good position.”

Alpine Academy

Doohan and Caldwell determined to bounce back after Bahrain misfortune

Alpine Academy duo Jack Doohan and Olli Caldwell have their sights set on Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this weekend as they aim to bounce back from a mixed weekend in Bahrain at the season-opening FIA Formula 2 round.

Jack scorched to a sensational pole position in Friday qualifying but, from there, the remainder of the weekend proved challenging. The Australian, making his on-track debut in Alpine colours, finished tenth in the reverse grid Sprint Race. In Sunday’s Feature Race, Jack was well in the mix for a top three finish before a collision while exiting the pit-lane put paid to those hopes as he salvaged the final point in tenth place.

Olli qualified seventeenth on the grid, finishing nineteenth in Saturday’s Sprint. Olli then finished seventeenth in a Feature Race filled with positive learning, which the Briton will take forwards to Saudi Arabia this weekend, for round two of the FIA Formula 2 Championship.

Jack Doohan: “I’m really keen to race in Saudi Arabia this weekend. I loved the circuit last year, which was my first time in an F2 car, and it was awesome. I’m looking forward to going there with more experience this time. There have been some modifications to the circuit, so we’ll see what that does for racing. The aim is to redeem ourselves for this weekend as we have some unfinished business from Bahrain as it did not go to plan in the races. The fundamentals are there. We’re fast, we have good pace and now we have to put it all together.”

Olli Caldwell: “I’m looking forward to getting back on track this weekend in Jeddah. There was a lot of untapped potential in Bahrain, so it is good to be able to drive again so soon and learn from the previous weekend. The track is very difficult but luckily I was able to get some experience there last year and I am excited to see what the weekend has to offer.”