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Fernando Alonso, Alpine A521
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How Alpine conquered F1 2021's battle of the 'A-team' midfielders

Heading into 2021, it was clear that there was going to be little to choose between the three ‘A’ teams: Aston Martin, AlphaTauri and Alpine. Despite not having the best car, it was the French outfit that prevailed with its well-balanced driver pairing making up the shortfall

If Formula 1's fight at the front of the field was incredibly tight and unpredictable at times in 2021, the midfield contest behind McLaren and Ferrari took things to a new level.

In a season when the COVID-triggered homologation rules helped to keep things close, it was clear that there was going to be little to choose between the three 'A' teams: Aston Martin, AlphaTauri and Alpine. And whereas the battles further up the order came down to car and engine characteristics, plus a little bit of development, the fight between this trio was decided by a wider multitude of factors that left things unpredictable to the end.

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