Alpine Executive Technical Director David Sanchez has revealed the team’s next upgrades will be tailored towards the direction it will take with its 2025 Formula 1 car.
The Enstone-based squad expected to commence the current season on the backfoot as it elected to overhaul its car concept having reached a ceiling with the A523.
However, Alpine’s woes were worse than anticipated as it started the campaign with an overweight and uncompetitive car which was the slowest package on the grid.
Alpine has since removed the excess weight to reach the minimum weight limit, but the team still languishes eighth in the Constructors’ Championship with 11 points.
The Anglo-French marque introduced updates to the last round prior to the break in Belgium, containing a revised beam wing, rear wing, engine cover and brake ducts.
Sanchez, who was appointed earlier this season to head Alpine’s revamped technical structure, explained that the intention is to have those parts remain on the A524.
“So what you see today, all the changes are full-season updates, I would say, not track-specific,” Sanchez told media including Motorsport Week at Spa-Francorchamps.
“There’s just a new rear wing, which is not on the car yet, which is track-specific.
“The rest, which is an evolution of the front wing, the bodywork, the rear brake duct, it’s for everywhere.
“So the wing that we might try, depending on the conditions, is the one that Alpine will run here, in Monza and in Las Vegas.”
Asked whether the developments had been accelerated, Sanchez replied: “I wouldn’t say it’s been rushed. But for sure, it’s been pushed very hard through the system”.
Sanchez has divulged that Alpine has more seismic changes planned past the summer break that will determine the avenue the squad goes down with its 2025 car.
“I think the number one issue is for everyone to find more downforce and try to eliminate some of the anomalies that we might see with the current car,” he added.
“So this package is mainly intended for more downforce. So this is a first step in the pipeline. We have another one that will be bigger and that will be the basis for next year.
“So we will do more on this year’s car. We’ve been working on this one [for Spa] since day one. The other one is an extension, using a little bit more time to go further.”
Pressed on how soon the next package can be expected once the reason restarts later this month, the ex-McLaren engineer responded: “A few races after the break.”
Outgoing Alpine boss Bruno Famin published late last month that it is seeking to shut down its engine operation in France and switch to being a customer operation.
But despite the upheaval, Sanchez has insisted that Alpine has everything in place at Enstone to construct a competitive chassis once new regulations arrive in 2026.
“Infrastructure-wise the team was already well underway with the plans,” he said. “We looked together at whether we needed to prioritise some elements over others.
“I think where we are now, the plan we have, if I look at ’26 and beyond, we should be in a good position.
“Now, the most important thing is to get everything in the right direction with this car and the next one, and build more confidence in the team.”
Discussion about this post