F1 | Alpine, Famin realistic: “It will be a difficult start to the year”

Going back to February 2023, Alpine began the season with totally different expectations compared to those with which it will start the 2024 championship. Twelve months ago, the French team was the protagonist of a rather anonymous test session, remaining in the shadows between tests of rather short set-up and runs, even if there was a certain optimism within the team.

A confidence then confirmed by the track in the first events of the season, where in fact some steps forward were noticed, so much so that we thought we could almost worry Mercedes and Ferrari in some events. However, the rest of the season told a different story, with an A523 unable to progress as well as its rivals due to some design limitations.

For this reason, in the winter the Enstone engineers worked hard to try to smooth out those defects that had blocked development, for example creating a completely revised chassis in terms of volumes, in order to guarantee greater freedom to the imagination of the aerodynamicists.

The objective was not only to increase the overall aerodynamic load, but also to improve the overall efficiency, which often undermined the performance of the single-seater in the last world championship, so much so that the wings had to be unloaded to compensate for the unit's engine problems. transalpine.

This year too, the three days of testing were rather anonymous, without any sharp details, but the optimism that was felt before the start of the last world championship gave way to a dose of realism, with expectations that were anything but exciting.

Famin said he was encouraged by the reliability shown during track testing at Sakhir, but suggested that several races may be needed to get the best out of a thoroughly revised A524.

“It was a solid three days of testing for the team, where we focused on ourselves and committed to a comprehensive testing programme. We were strong operationally throughout the week and demonstrated great work teamwork between both factories and the team on the track, which was nice to see”, said Bruno Famin, confirmed in the role of Team Principal also for the 2024 world championship.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

“Our reliability has been good and this has allowed us to complete our test plan as planned. Now it's time to analyze the data and focus on optimizing the package we have in hand ahead of the first Grand Prix next week We know where we stand. We expect a difficult start to the year as we continue to learn more and more about our A524 to develop it throughout the season.”

“It's much more than giving an objective in terms of final result or championship position or podiums. I need to see this dynamic. The car is what it is at the moment. The important thing is to be able to develop it together with the team, at the Viry and Enstone factories and on the trackside. Everyone is pushing to improve.”

Looking at the data, the French team is the one that completed the fewest laps in the three days of testing allowed by the regulations, with the exception of McLaren and Williams, who however remained in the pits for a long time due to reliability problems. Scrolling through the program, you can see how Alpine has divided its texts into two different sections, between set-up tests and medium-length runs.

The first day was totally dedicated to completing the aerodynamic surveys and the first set-up tests, in order to verify that the data obtained on the track matched the simulations. More specific tests began in the afternoon, especially in terms of managing the heights from the ground, with multiple runs consisting of the exit lap, a push pass and the return to the pits before the changes: a plan repeated on several occasions, always with the C1 , in order to ride in similar grip conditions.

Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Program then confirmed also the following morning, at least until the red flag caused by the blown manhole in turn 11: upon returning to the track, in fact, the transalpine manufacturer began to move to medium length stints, always under ten laps and with the compound tougher, of which on the eve they won 11 sets, more than any other team, suggesting that the tests would focus in particular on that compound. In the late afternoon, however, the team once again focused on very short runs, still looking for the window in which to make the car work best.

In fact, Friday also followed a similar work plan, with a planned start on the C3: three runs were completed with similar parameters, carrying out a push lap with the C3 followed by a passage to let the tires breathe again and a continuous stint about five turns.

The only longest stints were those completed on the morning of the last day by Esteban Ocon, with less than exciting references, especially on the C3, although it should be mentioned that at that point the track was almost touching 40° C temperature. Other references are those of the medium-length runs completed in the afternoon with Gasly, with a much cooler track than the morning, always on the C3, and always with partials that did not leave a smile.

The interesting aspect is that from a team that brought 11 sets of C1 and 4 of C2 one would have expected a greater commitment on long runs, while the completed stints rarely went beyond ten laps. From this point of view, it is probable that the difficulties encountered on the track have partly revolutionized the work plan of the transalpine team: a theme also partly mentioned by the drivers, who explained how the team worked a lot on the set-ups, even distorting the setup.

Ocon's stint third day	Ocon's stint third day	Gasly's stint third day	Gasly's stint third day
1.21pm – C3	1.43pm	4.36pm – C3	4.52pm – C3
out/in	38,752	out	37,957
out (back on track)	38,884	38.24	38,068
38,168	38,838	38.11	38,386
38,273	38,983	38,091	38,899
38,774	39,085	38,323	38,979
39,234	39,319	38,668	39,144
39,536	39,652	38,178	39,299
40,043	39,541	39,363	39,508
40,178	39,908
40,332
40,655

“I don't think we're in great shape. But at the same time, we still have a couple of days to fully understand everything we have done,” explained Pierre Gasly speaking to Sky, before mentioning a certain degree of realism.

“We've turned the car upside down and done a lot of tests. We hope that the analysis and the answers will allow us to obtain greater performance. And then, we'll find out, no one will be hiding anymore next Friday. But I think we'll have to be patient, even if it's not what we like as drivers, but it's clear that it may take some time before we really unlock the performance we want from this car.”

“It won't be an easy first race. We won't start from where we wanted to. But at the same time, we need to give ourselves some time to understand the new concept we have. The good thing is that we have identified very clearly what we need to work on as a team. Now, whether we will be able to solve the problem with the car set-up or not, for the first races of the season, time will tell, but for sure there will be an aggressive plan of updates that we will need to close the gap.” , added the Frenchman, who however underlined the hope of seeing consistent progress thanks to a solid development plan.

The Enstone team rightly asks for time, because they are aware that they have made numerous changes to the project, more than the external shapes suggest: it is no coincidence that already at the presentation the engineers spoke of an aggressive approach in the creation of this single-seater.

Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524

Photo by: Uncredited

In addition to the fact that Alpine clearly needs to find improvements in aerodynamic terms, there are rumors that the A524 may be overweight after the interventions carried out in winter, which affected both the chassis and mechanical aspects. When asked how much will be gained with aerodynamics and how much with weight reduction, Famin replied: “We don't know exactly yet. Let's analyze it better. But weight is always a factor. When you are overweight, you have to be underweight When you are underweight, you need to manage your weight correctly,” explained Famin.

“And even when you are underweight, you still have to gain weight to improve weight distribution. So, weight reduction is always a challenge.”

The Team Principal said he is confident that Alpine can fight in the mid-table group, but admitted that the true test of its performance will only be clear during the Bahrain GP weekend, when other teams will also begin to express their potential .

“There is certainly a lot to learn. The car is new from front to rear: the chassis is different, the suspension is different, the aerodynamics are different. We wanted to try to improve the weak points of the previous car. Let's wait for next week to see if we hit the target.”