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 waiting for cleaner F1 weekend to judge 2023 car

by Taylor Powling
3 years ago
A A
Alpine waiting for cleaner F1 weekend to judge 2023 car

Pierre Gasly (FRA) Alpine F1 Team A523. 05.03.2023. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 1, Bahrain Grand Prix, Sakhir, Bahrain, Race Day.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Alpine has confessed to not yet understanding the genuine pace of its 2023 car after both its drivers suffered compromised weekends in Bahrain.

The Anglo-French side collected two points from the opening race courtesy of Pierre Gasly, but neither he nor his team-mate Esteban Ocon endured a seamless first round.

After a disastrous qualifying session that resigned Gasly to starting right at the back, the Frenchman’s debut with Alpine was mostly spent navigating his way through a slower queue of cars.

Meanwhile, Ocon, having qualified well in ninth, was blighted by problems from the start, becoming the first driver since ex-Enstone turnout Pastor Maldonado in 2015 to accumulate three separate penalties in a single race.

RelatedPosts

Yuki Tsunoda was charging down Liam Lawson in Baku

Yuki Tsunoda resisted ‘hero’ overtake attempt on F1 rival amid best Red Bull result

2 hours ago
Charles Leclerc insisted the Ferrari team orders gaffe in Baku mattered little

Why ‘sexier positions’ issue renders Ferrari F1 team orders blunder irrelevant

4 hours ago

Although signs of potential were shown on both sides of the garage at varying points of the weekend, Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer has said it is waiting for a cleaner weekend to assess where its A523 package sits relative to the competition.

“We still don’t know its true pace because of some of the operational things that happened in the race,” Szafnauer explained.

“Esteban had all of his issues that we talked about, Pierre was stuck in 19th for quite some time at the beginning.

“I’m looking at lap times and if you ever watch a race between the guys up front and the guys at the back, [in the same car] you can be two seconds a lap different just because of where you’re racing.

“So, I still don’t know where we are relative just because we’re out of position with one car and the other car had the problems we talked about. I don’t think we’re far off.”

Gasly took advantage of a late Virtual Safety Car period to make an additional stop for a fresh set of the Soft compound tyre; the decision almost enabled him to snatch a further place from Valtteri Bottas.

The lead Alfa Romeo driver held onto ninth, however, with team-mate Zhou Guanyu being tactically pitted to steal the fastest lap point that Gasly had held.

Nevertheless, Szafnauer was buoyed by Gasly’s comeback drive suggesting Alpine appears to have a faster race car than Alfa Romeo.

“I think we were about 16 seconds behind Bottas at that point, and we caught him but couldn’t overtake in the end. So I think that stint worked well,” he said.

“Looking at it from an optimistic standpoint and say if Pierre had started ninth, we would have beaten Bottas for sure.”

Alpine secured the Renault Group’s highest Constructors’ Championship placing since 2018 last season by edging out McLaren for fourth.

With the team setting out a 100-race plan to get to the front of the F1 field, Alpine had set the target of consolidating its fourth position and reducing the deficit to the top three in 2023.

But the early formbook suggests it has fallen behind Aston Martin, with ex-Alpine driver Fernando Alonso taking the final podium place in Bahrain.

However, Szafnauer, formerly team principal at the Silverstone outfit, believes it can recover to fight for its seasonal target by developing its car quicker than the teams ahead.

“How close would we have been to the Mercedes and I think [Lance] Stroll? They were 16 seconds ahead of us, we need to have a look,” he reflected.

“Now we just need to outdevelop them so we can close a gap to those guys we want to beat.

“Esteban being out of position at the start, he’ll learn from that. Operationally, we can look forward to having smooth, trouble-free races.

“And if that happens, Pierre qualifies where he can qualify and we’ve got both of them in the top 10 positions, then I think we’ll score plenty of points and then we’ll fight for fourth.”

Tags: AlpineBahrainGPF1Szafnauer
Share202Tweet126Share

Related Posts

Yuki Tsunoda was charging down Liam Lawson in Baku
Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda resisted ‘hero’ overtake attempt on F1 rival amid best Red Bull result

2 hours ago
Charles Leclerc insisted the Ferrari team orders gaffe in Baku mattered little
Formula 1

Why ‘sexier positions’ issue renders Ferrari F1 team orders blunder irrelevant

4 hours ago
Alpine's miserable Baku weekend may have helped Flavio Briatore decide its 2026 line-up
Formula 1

How the Azerbaijan GP may have decided the 2026 Alpine F1 line-up

5 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

Yuki Tsunoda was charging down Liam Lawson in Baku
Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda resisted ‘hero’ overtake attempt on F1 rival amid best Red Bull result

September 22, 2025
Charles Leclerc insisted the Ferrari team orders gaffe in Baku mattered little
Formula 1

Why ‘sexier positions’ issue renders Ferrari F1 team orders blunder irrelevant

September 22, 2025
Alpine's miserable Baku weekend may have helped Flavio Briatore decide its 2026 line-up
Formula 1

How the Azerbaijan GP may have decided the 2026 Alpine F1 line-up

September 22, 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