Alpine's Fernando Alonso says there are "no guarantees" that F1's top teams will perform well under the sport's new regulations next season, and that surprises must be expected.
Formula 1's regulation overhaul has been designed to tighten the field by simplifying a car's aerodynamics, a change that should allow for drivers to follow each other more closely and therefore boost overtaking opportunities.
But the technical regulation revamp could also spring a surprise or two if a team enjoys a eureka moment through a specific design originality or a clever interpretation of the rules.
Alonso says Alpine is working full steam on its 2022 contender but admits that nothing has transpired so far on how the car will measure up against its rivals.
"We are working on next year's project but it's very early days and no one knows what the numbers are, because you have nothing to compare against," said the Spaniard.
"So, we are all a little bit realistic and waiting for February because we will see many surprises when the cars are uncovered for everyone.
"We will see different philosophies, we will see different ideas and will be time to be sharp and react if we see something interesting."
F1 pundits are logically assuming that Mercedes and Red Bull's engineering resources will ensure that both outfits remain at the top of the pyramid. But Alonso insists there are no assurances that the sport's top outfits will get it right when it comes to next year's regulations.
"I think there is no guarantee, no feeling that you can put on the future on any team, basically," added the two-time world champion.
"Probably even the top teams that are dominating the sport now, they are rightly concerned about the new rules and how they will interpret those cars."
Alonso admits that any team that hits the ground running at the start of the 2022 season thanks to a design advantage might uphold its edge for an extended period.
"What you see next year in the first couple of races is the first year of that set of regulations," he sid.
"Eventually, you will see the same results for four or five years as we saw, a team that is dominant at the beginning of one set of rules, they seem to keep that advantage for year; everything gets closer and closer, but the same one is winning.
"So next year is going to be interesting, especially for the younger drivers, how they decide the future. Because no one, no team has a guarantee that they will perform well."
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