Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon had a fairly low-key week at the first Barcelona pre-season test, before running was cut short by an hydraulics problem on the final day.
But even though the team never featured near the top of the timesheets, Alpine thinks a combination of factors meant its true potential was never going to be on display.
One of the key contributors was a decision not to run DRS in the test – which was worth around seven tenths of a second per lap – but the team also elected to run heavier on fuel loads at the test than it normally would.
And having finally found a good setup with the car on the final morning, which helped Alonso deliver his fastest lap of the test, its running was cut short by a split hydraulic pipe that triggered a car fire.
Sporting director Alan Permane said the DRS and fuel factors automatically held back its laptimes, but reckoned the reality was the team had a better week than it looked from the outside.
“I don’t want to sound like…
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