Comment on this article! Pierre Gasly and Alpine F1 does not expect to make any sparks at the start of the season. While we should never over-interpret the performances recorded during the traditional pre-season runs of Formula 1 However, it is not forbidden to outline trends to draw up an initial hierarchy of the grid. The Norman, just like his teammate Esteban Ocon and his Team Principal Bruno Famin, has the merit of being realistic about the state of form of the A arrow at the dawn of the new campaign.
A year earlier, the stable Alpine announced with fanfare that it aimed to get closer to the Top 3 in the Manufacturers' championship. And then the season happened, sweeping away the noisy statements and much of the team management. After a modest launch on the side of enstone United Kingdom , the A arrow therefore continued with three days of tests during which the Dieppe Seine-Maritime brand kept a low profile.
With the 16th and 17th combined times, Ocon and Gasly hardly made any sparks. According to data collected by the official F1 website , the A is more than a second behind the lap Red Bull RB20 in qualifying pace and as much in race simulation. The A having quickly shown its limits in terms of development, the decision was made to review the concept of the in-house chassis in the hope of being able to advance it further.
In summary: one step back to take two, or even three steps forward. We were operationally strong all week and showed great teamwork between the two factories and the track team which was good to see. Our reliability was good and this allowed us to carry out our test plan. Now is the time to analyze the data and focus on optimizing the package available to us ahead of the first Grand Prix next week. In three days, Alpine completed laps of the Bahrain circuit, which will host the opening Grand Prix next Saturday March 2, departure at p.
French time , or km. It is crucial to learn everything about the entire package and understand how we can optimize it. For my part, it was sometimes quite tricky, especially with a short run yesterday and today. The red flag on Thursday was a shame and a fin above a wheel came off the car and deprived us of a few laps late in the afternoon. Nonetheless, the team has had some productive testing over the past three days and that's the most important thing.
