The 2024 F1 season could not have started worse for Alpine.
The team's 2024 challenger, A524, was overweight and lagged behind the team in preseason testing. Those fears became reality at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, when Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon squeezed out of the last row in qualifying and started the race from last place.
The pair finished the first race of the season in 17th and 18th place and faced a long climb to break into the midfield.
But slowly the results improved and the Sao Paulo Grand Prix came around. Ocon and Gasly overcame difficult weather conditions and scheduling opportunities to give the team an incredible double podium finish. Ocon's second place and Gasly's third in the main event, with Gasly taking seventh in the F1 sprint race, gave Alpine an impressive 35 points over the weekend in Brazil.
In the constructors' championship, the team jumped from 9th to 6th place.
The team now hopes to maintain its position heading into the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the first of a trifecta to end the season.
“We're going back to Las Vegas for a second year and we're really looking forward to it. Last season we had a great result there, starting from 16th on the grid and taking the checkered flag in fourth place,” Ocon told the team's media Said in the preview. “This circuit is incredible with all drivers going full speed for a high percentage of each lap. Driving through the heart of a city is like no other. Night racing under the lights. There will also be a night race under the lights in Las Vegas. The goal is to continue the momentum from Sao Paulo and make the most of the weekend to maintain sixth place in the championship.”
“It's really exciting to be back in Las Vegas,” Gasly began. “The battle for sixth place is still very close and we want to protect our position, so we need to do everything in the best possible way. We qualified well and proved that we can fight for points in the race. That's our goal in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. It's going to be a challenge, but the team is very good and I'm confident we can achieve it.
“Last year we had a good qualifying in Las Vegas, but the race was difficult for me in the garage, especially in terms of tire management.The late session start time and cold weather made it a complicated event to warm up the tires. , which will also be interesting, but I have to say that I had a lot of fun driving it around the circuit last year and I'm hoping for the same this time, and I'm looking forward to seeing another good performance. Masu.”
