2024 was not born under a lucky star for Alpine and probably represents the worst start to the championship since the team returned under the management of the Renault group in 2016. For this reason the French team is trying to push on the updates front, in so as not to remain in this situation for long, given that it currently does not find itself in a position absolutely in line with the rank of the brand and the potential of the structure of a manufacturer.
The drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have not yet managed to enter the points zone, because the change of concept chosen last winter, not only from an aerodynamic point of view but also mechanically with a completely revised chassis, caused the Enstone team to sink at the bottom of the ranking.
The first substantial innovations arrived at Suzuka to unlock the potential that the team believes could exist. A new front wing was introduced in order to improve the balance of the single-seater, but also new lightened parts, in order to begin to reduce the weight of a car born well beyond the minimum limit imposed by the Federation.
Comparison between the front wings of the Alpine A524 taken to Suzuka
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
The hope was to bring a new package to Miami, home of the sixth round of the world championship, but the good news is that, according to what the team said, the engineers and production technicians managed to bring forward part of the new package by one Grand Prix . The team confirmed to Motorsport.com that the update consists of a revised floor that will be fitted to only Esteban Ocon's car, as there will be few units available.
As with other teams, it is difficult to produce large quantities of stock at this stage of the season, but Alpine has already confirmed that from Miami both drivers will have the same specification. Furthermore, the team has also confirmed that the priority on the new updates will be alternated between the riders: there will be events in which the first to receive the news will be Pierre Gasly, while on other occasions it will be Ocon's turn.
“The last race in Japan underlined how big the challenge we face to improve our performance level,” said Team Principal Bruno Famin.
“We need to develop the performance of the car to be able to fight for the top positions. While it was good to bring the first updates for the car to Suzuka, we need to do more. The team worked very hard and we managed to bring an update for a car this weekend, one race earlier than expected.”
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Alpine's decision to accelerate development clearly entails risks, also because at this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix not only will there be a sprint race, leaving the teams little time to refine the setup, but also because it involves an appointment that has been missing from the calendar for four years. This means that the teams will have a limited amount of data available before taking to the track for a competitive session, but anticipating will also give the opportunity to be able to study the indications obtained during the Grand Prix during the break week before Miami.
Both drivers were at Enstone last week on the simulator and dedicated their time to studying the set-up as best as possible and deciding on the next updates. “The cars are completely different to those of 2019, so the preparation was different than usual,” added Famin.
“Coupled with the fact that it is a sprint event, we have less time to prepare and therefore it is crucial to be in place from the start.”
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