The Frenchman Esteban Ocon will drive for Alpine once again in 2022 alongside his Spanish teammate Fernando Alonso. While the French driver struggled at the beginning of the 2021 season, he got his breakthrough victory in the 2021 Hungarian GP.

At the launch event, Ocon said:

“I’m very excited, of course, to not only see the A522 for the first time but to drive it for the first time this week.

 “It is very exciting. I think it is the best time to be in Formula One because of huge changes in the regulations so it is a big time for us, the teams and the fans too!

.@OconEsteban 🗣️ “I think it is the best time to be in Formula 1.”#A522Launch pic.twitter.com/0rXFi3Jkue

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 21, 2022

While some of the teams have already had an unofficial pre-testing of their cars, Alpine will take its car of the garage during the test days in Barcelona. Excited to drive the new Alpine powertrain, Esteban Ocon said, “It’s always a privilege to drive a new Formula 1 car for the first time.

“You know all the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes at both factories in Enstone and Viry. That feeling and responsibility are truly unique and very special. But this time is, even more, special because of the regulation changes.

“I feel prepared, I feel ready physically. So let’s hit the track and see what we’ve got in our hands this year!”

Ocon’s confidence has boosted after his maiden victory in Hungary last season. Indeed, he said:

“I feel confident and prepared. We feel we have progressed during last season and we want to keep progressing over the entire year”

Our colours for this year, what do you guys think about it ?😋 #EO31 pic.twitter.com/8lDLSFlmHo

— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) February 21, 2022

The mental and physical preparation is fundamental for all drivers. And although it was “shorter than previous years”, Ocon claims that it has been going “very well”.

“I managed to slightly change the way I used to train and to further improve my athleticism. I feel like I’m in a very good position at the moment and I will be ready for when the season begins.”

Even two-time world champion Fernando Alonso appeared pretty optimistic about the 2022 season. He hopes that the new regulations show good improvement on the car.

Alonso said, “This my second year with Alpine and, yeah, I’m more optimistic than last year probably,” Alonso said. “The new rules give you that hope that everything can change and you can suddenly be competitive from race one. ”

“So I’m optimistic. I’m confident that the team did a good job with the car, and we’re ready to go.