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Alpine Suffers Engine Blow-Out as Fernando Alonso Ends Morning Session Early at Barcelona

Published 02/25/2022, 5:47 AM EST

The third and final day of the pre-season testing in Barcelona has gotten off to a horror start for Alpine as Fernando Alonso’s A522 suffered a dramatic engine blowout on the track. It is obvious that the French outfit had a lot of plans for today before heading to Bahrain for the second pre-season testing.

However, barely 15 minutes into the morning session, Alonso fell victim to what could be the first terminal power unit issue of the year. Smoke erupted out of the back of the Alpine as the Spaniard had to unwillingly park his car on the gravel trap.

Hence, the stewards temporarily halted the session while the marshals retrieved the stranded Alpine off the track before waving green flags over the session again.

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What happened to the A522 of Fernando Alonso?

The good news is that Alonso is safe, but the rather bad news is he might not be able to take part in the morning session anymore. The issue looks quite serious, and it is likely that the Alpine mechanics will have a long day ahead, trying to get the two-time world champion’s car ready before lunch break.

Not the start to the morning Alpine and Fernando Alonso would have wanted 😞
The session was briefly red flagged after smoke was seen coming from the back of his car as he pulled into the gravel but has now resumed again. pic.twitter.com/JomtNdJKS4
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 25, 2022

According to Motorsport, the power unit issue could have something to do with Renault’s major changes to their engine layout this year. Unlike the past, Renault separated the turbo from the supercharger, which was initially figured out by the 2021 constructors’ champions, Mercedes, and later imitated by Honda.

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After-lunch plans to disrupt Alpine

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Alpine would desperately want a dry track after lunch to make up for the lost time in the morning. However, F1 has different plans, as water trucks are set to make the track wet for the drivers to do some running on wet and intermediate tires.

Alpine’s test run at Barcelona has potentially come to an early halt. What’s more, it has come at the worst possible time with no more testing days scheduled until the first week of March. Hence, Alpine might have to play the waiting game before taking the Renault-powered challenger onto the track in Bahrain.

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But, what if the engine issues continue to haunt them during the second testing too? Well, let’s see how Alpine manage to tackle this tricky situation.

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Written by:

Rohit Kumar is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. He has been an ardent follower of the racing series since 2007, with his love for the sport coinciding with his love for Kimi Raikkonen. He is also an ardent follower of Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin Racing.

Alpine Suffers Engine Blow-Out as Fernando Alonso Ends Morning Session Early at Barcelona

What happened to the A522 of Fernando Alonso?

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After-lunch plans to disrupt Alpine