F1 | Alpine risks the “black jersey”: the A524 starts off overweight

The uncoveted role of 'black jersey' is the subject of attention as the candidate to start the season with the last position on the grid is not yet defined. Haas showed signs of life in the first two free practice sessions, leaving (at least yesterday) Sauber and Alpine to fight to avoid the role of the bottom team.

The Anglo-French team is going through a difficult period, since the A524 took its first steps in testing last week, the list of problems and negative feedback has become increasingly longer. To deal with this situation, which is far from simple, the team is already working on the first seasonal update which should arrive in Melbourne.

Some of the critical issues of the A524 emerged very clearly on the Sakhir track, a track where traction plays an important role. “We would like to have better traction – admitted technical director Mike Harman – we have made some changes to look for better mechanical grip, but they will have to be integrated with other aerodynamic changes. And this is something that we plan to do with the first update that we will bring to the track very soon, not next weekend but immediately after.”

Bruno Famin, Team Principal Alpine F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Alpine hopes to be able to turn the season around like McLaren managed to do in 2023, but at the moment the road seems very uphill.

Bruno Famin admitted that another of the problems plaguing the new single-seater is its weight. “We know where we have extra kilos – confirmed Harman – there are some details that I think we can remove from the car. It's certainly not a situation we wanted to be in, I say that honestly, but I'm confident that within a very short period, we will be back at the weight limit.”

The failure of a crash test also played a role in the A524's increased weight. “Only one in particular had an impact on this front,” Harman admitted.

There is no lack of confidence in the future, even the immediate future, but at the moment the reality is certainly not the best. At the end of yesterday the two Alpines finished in sixteenth and eighteenth place, and also in the ranking relating to the race simulations Ocon finished in sixteenth position, Gasly in nineteenth. The two drivers gave a timid sign of hope after verifying that the single-seater performs better in low temperatures, the ones they hope to find in qualifying and the race.

Pierre Gasly looks worried about the Alpine A524 that isn't working

Photo by: Erik Junius

“I don't want to make any predictions – commented Gasly – we will have the first verdict of the season in a few hours. The moment is difficult, we know it, but I believe that today the most important thing is to have clear ideas about what is needed. If the objective is correct, then it becomes a matter of work, and I know that everyone is already keeping their heads down both in Enstone and in Viry so that we can have the updates in a few weeks' time. In the meantime, the best we can do is maximize what we have, and that's what we're aiming for this weekend.”