Alpine F1 Team is having a particularly tough 2024 season, but according to Pierre Gasly, the downward spiral might finally be over.
With an impressive P7 in qualifying, the United States Grand Prix gave the French team a glimmer of hope, thanks to the recent technical upgrades made to the car. Better late than never, especially with the Mexico City Grand Prix just around the corner.
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A Flat Floor Making All the Difference
At the Austin GP, Alpine introduced a new upgrade package on Pierre Gasly’s A524. Among the changes were a redesigned floor and a slimmer engine cover. Though these updates came late in the season, they allowed Gasly to make it to Q3 and secure a strong 7th place. While his teammate Esteban Ocon didn’t enjoy the same success, these upgrades show signs of progress for the French team.
Gasly didn’t hide his satisfaction after qualifying: “We’ve finally found solutions, and it feels good. We’d been stuck in a negative spiral for a while, but this car is so much nicer to drive now, he said. The French driver also confirmed that the F1 car felt more stable during the Sprint Race. Finally, some hope for Alpine.
Alpine F1 Team has points in sight
With this encouraging qualifying performance, Alpine F1 Team seems on the right way to claw back some precious points in the constructors’ championship. Currently chasing Williams with just a three-point gap, every grid position becomes absolutely. crucial, as gaining ground in the race is tough. Gasly knows this well and remains cautiously optimistic: “It’s a great opportunity, but the race is a different challenge.
Teams like Haas or Aston Martin are fast and close to us.” Starting 7th opens the door to a potential top-10 finish, something Alpine hadn’t experienced in recent months. The team’s goal for the end of the season is clear: build on the performance gained from these upgrades to catch up to Williams and hope for more consistency in the F1 car’s performance. The days when Alpine was capable of winning races feel far behind.
A wasted P7 starting grid position during the race
Unfortunately, this hope was short-lived, as Pierre Gasly finished 12th in the United States Grand Prix due to a problematic pit stop. Alpine had to let another driver pass before sending the #10 car back out, losing valuable seconds to avoid traffic. With the Mexico GP fast approaching, the team will need to fine-tune its package and hope that the recent upgrades translate into better race pace. The challenge now is to understand how this upgrade package unlocked performance and to continue exploiting it in the remaining races, starting with the Mexico City Grand Prix.
This article explores the recent improvements made by Alpine in the 2024 F1 season, the A524, after the United States Grand Prix. We take a look at Pierre Gasly’s performance, the technical updates on his car, and the team’s hopes for closing the gap with Williams in the constructors’ championship.
Featured image: Formula 1 2021 Press Release