2024 was not born under a lucky star for Alpine, with a clear step back in the standings not only compared to its own 2023, but also towards its opponents, so much so that it was overtaken by other mid-table teams.
For this reason, the French team is trying to push on the updates front, with the aim of not remaining for long in this situation which is clearly not suited to the coat of arms of an official 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.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
The first innovations arrived in Suzuka to unlock the car's potential, but it is in China that the most substantial updates arrived. Beyond the fact that the team was finally able to bring a spare bodyshell, which was not available in the first four events due to the delays accumulated in the winter in the homologation of the chassis, Alpine presented itself with useful updates to reduce weight and improve performance, including a revised bottom on the outside in front of the rear tires.
Despite having left the Chinese track still without a point in the standings, although this time Ocon did not go that far from his goal having finished eleventh, the French rider expressed confidence in the direction taken by the team in recent weeks.
“I'm happy and a little disappointed at the same time not to be in the points, because we ended up 2.3 seconds away from the top ten, which is difficult to digest, given the work we did this weekend. I think it was made the most of. I feel like this race was my best of the entire season so far. I was very happy with how I handled it all, but clearly there was nothing that could be done. “The fact that we didn't score is a bit sad, but we're going in the right direction, a step,” said Ocon.
Regarding the improvements, the Frenchman confirmed that it is a clear step forward, both from the point of view of weight and balance, because combined with the other updates it guarantees greater aerodynamic load and flexibility to the engineers: “Definitely the reduction in weight was an improvement. As for the rest, I think a more in-depth analysis is needed to understand exactly where it has brought a clear advantage in terms of performance.”
Alpine A524 technical detail
Picture of: Giorgio Piola
“From a weight perspective this is an excellent job. And that's why I'm saying that, from this point of view, the weight is definitely a step forward. Obviously we expect more from an aerodynamic point of view, as it should be, but we need to check exactly whether we have managed to get the most out of this aspect,” added Ocon, before mentioning that the data that emerged from the simulator was also better than those found on the track.
An understandable aspect, given that, with only one free practice session available, it was also complex to be able to optimize the available package as much as possible, because once on the track other unknowns were added such as those of the asphalt and tire preparation: “However, we need to see if we extracted everything from the new package and compare it to the performance we thought we saw in the simulator, because I think there was probably more in terms of performance in the simulator than what we extracted on the track ”.
Gasly, however, lined up in fifteenth position for the race after overcoming the Q1 trap and, also taking advantage of a couple of opportunities, finished in thirteenth position. Unlike Ocon, Gasly did not have the latest updates this week, which in his case will only arrive in Miami, given that Alpine managed to create only a few examples of the new parts having moved ahead of schedule.
However, Gasly looks to the future with confidence, because from his point of view the new package is worth a total of around two and a half tenths. Partly it would be due to a weight reduction of around two kilos, an aspect which Ocon also agreed on, but on the other hand there would also be aerodynamic improvements.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“Let's say it's a couple of tenths. This is a weight saving of around two kilos and an improvement in aerodynamics, as can be seen from the data. In the end, the important thing is that it works. And the data shows that it does what it's supposed to do. So, this is positive,” Gasly explained.
“Obviously, we have to continue to work and find more, because it's not that it's changing our position in a clear way, but it's certainly taking us a step forward. I knew it would be a difficult weekend for me without the updates. Esteban had the new floor and the new chassis, which worked well and brought us closer to the points.”
“It's quite simple, the car with the new package is lighter, a couple of kilos less, so there is a reduction in weight and also more load, more load points on the car, therefore more grip in all conditions, low, medium and high speed”. This has a positive impact not only in qualifying, but above all in the race, where a lighter and more loaded car can potentially manage the tires better.
Realistically there won't be any other big news in Miami, given that part of the package that was planned for the American stage has been brought forward to China, but the French team continues to push to try to revive a season born under an unlucky star.
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