Esteban Ocon has admitted he is prepared for a slow beginning to the 2024 Formula 1 season as his Alpine team gets to grips with an extensive revamp to its car concept.
Alpine slumped to a distant sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship last season after professing it had encountered a performance ceiling with its 2023 challenger.
That has prompted a radical overhaul with the A524, which Technical Director Matt Harman has described as being “front to back” new compared to its predecessor.
Harman explained that the Enstone-based squad hopes that the renovations will offer a wider overall setup operating window and also provide greater scope for development.
However, the team has been cautious about expectations heading into the season amid the likelihood of a stagnant period while it figures out how to unlock its car’s potential.
“It is a possible scenario because we have a new concept,” Ocon conceded when that view was put to him at the launch of Alpine’s A524 in Enstone on Wednesday.
“The car is totally new and when you usually do that you normally take a step back.
“I don’t say that this is the case because we haven’t put the car down yet but the plan is to improve it. Through the year and get more progress the more that we go through the laps and it’s gonna be crucial obviously to get a good feedback straight away to know where we have to improve, to see if the concept choices that we took are the right ones.
“But it’s gonna be an interesting year on that side and it’s not necessarily that crucial where we start but it’s gonna be where we are mid-season,” he added.
Ocon reiterates that an “aggressive” change of direction means that Alpine’s competitiveness should not be assessed until it has had time to understand its latest car.
“I think my thoughts are we have to be humble,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a very aggressive concept that we are going into, taking a new car, changing completely the approach, because we thought we were maximising the old concept, but this year it’s about understanding early on where we are exactly, who’s where, [and] who have improved more.
“So it doesn’t really matter where we start, and there is a scenario where it could be tricky where we start, but the importance is going to be, and that’s what we have in place.
“Bring the updates, understand the car and get it to where it should be because that should be a better concept, definitely with what we decided to take.
“So I can’t wait to put it on track, understand and hopefully get a good feeling driving it, being happy with the balance and have that smile that I had with many cars in the end.”
When asked to detail what Alpine is bidding to achieve with its updated philosophy, Ocon replied: “The new concept is basically a different position with all the suspension that is very visual and we are trying to get more flow through the car with all of that and to gain grip also at low speed with the car.
“And with that comes a lot of little details that I don’t necessarily want to go through but better ride, better traction, all of these things. So on paper that’s what we should get on track.”
The Frenchman has also supported the team’s decision, citing that 2024 was the “one to be able to change the concept” as most of this year’s car will form the base for next season ahead of the 2026 rules reset.
“I think if we decided to take that concept, it means there’s more potential than the other one,” he highlighted. “And early on in Bahrain, it’s going to be crucial to get the right feedback straight away to the team, analyse and get ready for the first couple of races.
“We need to see a bit more long-term here, more than straight away short-term because it’s like a brand new car.”
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