Motorsport Week
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
  • Formula 1
    • 2025 Formula 1 Calendar
    • 2025 Formula 1 Standings
  • Formula E
    • 2025 Formula E Calendar
    • 2025 Formula E Standings
  • IndyCar
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WRC
    • 2025 WRC Standings
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
  • MotoGP
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
  • WEC
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • IMSA
    • 2025 IMSA Calendar
  • World SBK
  • More
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
    • Technical Insight
    • Galleries
    • About/Contact
    • Privacy Policy
No Result
View All Result
Motorsport Week
Home Single Seater Formula 1

Alpine expected early struggles after off-season setbacks

by Phillip Horton
4 years ago
A A
Alpine expected early struggles after off-season setbacks

Esteban Ocon (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A521. Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Friday 16th April 2021. Imola, Italy.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Alpine entered the new Formula 1 campaign expecting to be on the backfoot, according to its Executive Director, and has accepted it is still playing catch-up in the midfield.

Alpine snuck through to Q3 in Bahrain, courtesy of the returning Fernando Alonso, but failed to score points in the race.

Alonso was hampered by overheating brakes, caused by debris, while Esteban Ocon’s race was compromised when he was hit by Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel.

Alpine finished outside of the top 10 during practice for Formula 1’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Friday, with Ocon 11th and Alonso 13th, sandwiching Williams’ Nicholas Latifi.

RelatedPosts

Isack Hadjar finished 10th in the Azerbaijan GP, but it was not a good race by his own standards

Isack Hadjar ‘pissed off’ with F1 Azerbaijan GP showing despite unique Red Bull achievement

38 minutes ago
Christian Horner could be back in an F1 paddock sooner than later

How Christian Horner is free to return to F1 soon as Red Bull exit details revealed

2 hours ago

“Going into the test [in Bahrain] we knew we had some… we experienced some headwind during the winter with some of the regulation changes but also we had a few issues with the windtunnel that slowed us in terms of development,” said Executive Director Marcin Budkowski.

“We knew we didn’t have the best possible winter so we were expecting to be on the back foot in terms of pace. Testing kind of confirmed that.

“We did make progress during the test with a few things we tested that were an improvement but we knew we were on the backfoot.

“Interestingly we ended up pretty much where we thought we would end up [in terms of position] but we got it wrong on some of the cars that were in front of us and some that ended up behind us.

“In terms of competitiveness, if you want, compared to the front unfortunately it wasn’t too much of a surprise.

“Obviously it didn’t go well for us because we had a reliability issue; honestly we could have had both cars in the points with a bit less bad luck but still if we had been in the points it would have been for the small points not the big points.”

Alpine has brought updates to its A521 at Imola but Budkowski cautioned that the new components will not transform the team’s prospects at a venue where it scored a podium six months ago.

“In terms of reaction most of the upgrades we have here were planned already, you don’t re-do the front wing or a nose in two weeks, so they were planned upgrades,” he said.

“Some of the stuff we are testing here is the result of the Bahrain test and the race. We are pushing hard to try to improve our performance, and [that] is clear from the number of upgrades.

“But first of all we are further behind than we’d like to be so it’s going to take more than a few upgrades, and then I don’t expect everyone else is waiting for us [as] everyone else is going to improve their car.

“It looks like the car is going to progress this weekend with the upgrades but we’ve got more work to do in the next few races to bring a bit more.”

Tags: AlpineF1ImolaGP
Share200Tweet125Share

Related Posts

Isack Hadjar finished 10th in the Azerbaijan GP, but it was not a good race by his own standards
Formula 1

Isack Hadjar ‘pissed off’ with F1 Azerbaijan GP showing despite unique Red Bull achievement

38 minutes ago
Hauger is the first rookie confirmed for the 2026 IndyCar season. Photo: Kevin Dejewski
IndyCar

Dale Coyne signs IndyNXT champion Dennis Hauger for 2026

55 minutes ago
Christian Horner could be back in an F1 paddock sooner than later
Formula 1

How Christian Horner is free to return to F1 soon as Red Bull exit details revealed

2 hours ago
Load More

Discussion about this post

Upcoming Races

#EventDate
18Singapore GP03-05 October
19United States GP17-19 October
20Mexico City GP24-26 October
21São Paulo GP07-09 November
22Las Vegas GP20-22 November

Click here for the full 2025 F1 calendar

Drivers’  Standings

#DriverPts
Oscar Piastri324
Lando Norris299
Max Verstappen255
George Russell212
Charles Leclerc165
Lewis Hamilton121
Andrea Kimi Antonelli78
Alexander Albon70
Isack Hadjar39
Nico Hulkenberg37

Click here for full Drivers’ Standings

Latest Articles

Isack Hadjar finished 10th in the Azerbaijan GP, but it was not a good race by his own standards
Formula 1

Isack Hadjar ‘pissed off’ with F1 Azerbaijan GP showing despite unique Red Bull achievement

September 23, 2025
Christian Horner could be back in an F1 paddock sooner than later
Formula 1

How Christian Horner is free to return to F1 soon as Red Bull exit details revealed

September 23, 2025
Fernando Alonso is concerned with Aston Martin's performance in the final seven F1 races of 2025
Formula 1

Fernando Alonso makes Aston Martin admission ahead of remaining 2025 F1 races

September 23, 2025

Follow Motorsport Week

Join our daily motorsport newsletter

* indicates required

Motorsport Week

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd

Other Links

  • About & Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Motorsport Monday

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Home
  • Formula 1
    • Latest News
    • 2025 F1 Calendar
    • 2025 F1 Championship Standings
  • Formula E
    • Latest News
    • 2025 FE Calendar
    • 2025 FE Championship Standings
  • MotoGP
    • Latest News
    • 2025 MotoGP Calendar
    • 2025 MotoGP Standings
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • WRC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WRC Calendar
    • 2025 WRC Standings
  • IndyCar
    • Latest News
    • 2025 IndyCar Calendar
    • 2025 IndyCar Standings
  • WEC
    • Latest News
    • 2025 WEC Calendar
  • Live Updates
  • Other
    • IMSA
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • F1 Academy
    • Moto2
    • Moto3
    • World Superbikes
  • Galleries
  • About/Contact
  • Privacy Policy

© 2024 Motorsport Media Services Ltd