Groups are allowed to make use of eight exhausts through the season earlier than they face grid penalties, and Alpine has already gone by means of seven for Esteban Ocon and 5 for team-mate Fernando Alonso.
No different staff has used greater than 4 within the first 11 grands prix of the deliberate 23-race season.
Alpine’s govt director Marcin Budkowski has defined that the staff was compelled to make use of extra exhausts than anticipated firstly of the yr due to reliability worries, however says the issue has now been solved.
He concedes, nonetheless, that the scenario has left the staff “uncovered” for the rest of the yr.
Talking after the Hungarian GP gained by Ocon, Budkowski stated: “We had a problem initially of the yr which meant that we restricted the mileage of our exhausts to keep away from failure through the race.
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“We’ve got launched a couple of exhausts initially of the yr to comprise the chance. We imagine we solved this subject now with a spec of exhaust we launched through the season.
“What we’re doing now could be actually managing the pool. We’ve got a variety of exhausts per automotive for the season, we simply must handle it.
Marcin Budkowski, Govt Director, Alpine F1
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
“And successfully you handle them between follow periods, qualifying, race, by having a bit extra assets in your pool you should use them in essentially the most environment friendly means for the remainder of the season.
“So contact wooden, we do not count on to take penalties this season. However clearly, as we have used a couple of greater than we’d have preferred to initially of the season, then we’re uncovered.”
Alpine is the one staff utilizing Renault engines this yr after McLaren switched to Mercedes energy, and Budkowski admits a few of its rivals have made enhancements that the French producer has been unable to match because of utilizing an engine design from 2019.
Renault will introduce an all-new engine for 2022, having been compelled to delay its deliberate introduction this yr due to issues associated to the pandemic.
Whereas Budkowski backs the choice, he concedes it has inevitably led to shedding floor to rival engines this season.
Requested by Autosport to price how the Renault engine stacks up in comparison with its rivals’ energy items, Budkowski stated: “I am not gonna reply this one straight.
“We’ve got a aggressive evaluation and we’ve a reasonably good concept of the place we stack by way of energy, but in addition by way of power administration, weight and packaging and issues like this.
“But it surely’s a 2019 engine we’re utilizing. In consequence a few of our opponents made features that we have not.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“So we’re in a barely non-ideal scenario the place we needed to delay our new energy unit, which has past enhancements to propulsive energy and power administration, the sort of traditional issues that make faster on a straight line has additionally a brand new structure and adjustments which are designed to deal with a few of our weaknesses in comparison with our opponents.
“However we did not have the assets to relaunch the event programme on this yr’s engine and proceed to work on the 2022 engines. So we have determined to place all our efforts on 2022. So it is a strategic resolution.
“I imagine it is the proper one however it’s painful, as a result of consequently this yr we misplaced floor in comparison with our opponents.”
Alpine sits fifth within the constructors’ championship after its shock victory in Hungary, however practically 100 factors behind fourth-placed McLaren.