At the Alpine factory, there’s a flurry of activity aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the French racing team. After a dismal start to the season, the team is still lagging at the bottom of the championship. With zero World Championship points to their name, rapid upgrades are being added to the A524. During the Chinese Grand Prix, Alpine will introduce a new floor for the first time.
Esteban Ocon will be the first to test the latest upgrades. This weekend, Alpine is installing a brand-new floor on his car in an attempt to edge closer to the top ten. Teammate Pierre Gasly isn’t as fortunate – he’ll have to wait a bit longer for the first major modifications to his car. So far, both drivers have only managed to reach the thirteenth spot on the grid. Ocon has managed to drive the A524 to Q2 twice, only to end up in P15.
Team boss Bruno Famin also acknowledged during the Grand Prix at Suzuka that Alpine has a long way to go. “The last race in Japan underscored the magnitude of the challenge to improve our performance,” he emphasized this week. “We need to significantly develop the car to be able to compete for higher positions. We need to raise our game on all fronts.” That’s why Alpine has decided to install the new floor – originally slated for introduction in Miami – on the car now.
‘Leveraging the Sprint Format’
Esteban Ocon is hopeful for the upcoming weekend. The Chinese Grand Prix is all about the sprint race, so anything can happen. “Sprint weekends often offer new opportunities,” says the French driver. “Our performance in the past few races has shown that we are more competitive in qualifying. We need to evaluate how we can best leverage the revised sprint format.”
