The Enstone team had aimed to maintain their fourth place position in the 2023 constructors’ championship and narrow the gap to Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes during the pre-season. However, they have now slipped to sixth place behind McLaren and Aston Martin in the midfield competition by the summer break.
Due to the decline, Renault Group, the owner of Alpine, has made efforts to replace CEO Laurent Rossi, while mutually agreeing to let go of team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane. Additionally, Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry has agreed to lead the design department at Williams.
During the chaotic events, Pierre Gasly advanced from sixth to second position in the rain-impacted sprint race at Spa on Saturday, while Ocon improved from 14th to eighth place in the complete Grand Prix on Sunday.
Ocon expressed that Alpine’s competitiveness led them to resume their streak of implementing upgrades for 2022 and immediately benefiting from them, without the need to wait for a thorough evaluation and correlation of the new components, unlike certain other teams.
He expressed optimism about the car’s progress, noting that with each update, it appears to be advancing.
“I attribute this [Sunday outcome] to Viry and Enstone, as it is truly motivating to see how our contributions on the track propel us forward.”
For Spa, Alpine introduced a fresh front wing designed specifically for Spa requirements, along with some enduring modifications to the floor body. These modifications include updated forward fences, ‘canoe ramps’, and a smoother diffuser wall cut out, all aimed at enhancing downforce.
Ocon was asked to explain the enhancements made to the car. He responded by highlighting the impressive performance during corner entry, particularly in medium to high-speed situations, despite the car having low downforce.
“It was evident that there was significantly improved stability and grip in the car. The difference was quite noticeable.”
Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team
Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
Talking about Alpine’s success rate in their 2022 upgrade strikes, Ocon expressed, “It has always been a strong point for us. We just need to ensure a more consistent delivery, and I believe we will be fine.”
Ocon, the winner of the 2021 Hungarian GP, stated that when evaluating the team’s performance in the first half of the season, it would be unfair to criticize Alpine for their lack of consistency. Rather, it should be acknowledged that other teams had been more successful in terms of development.
“I cannot reword.”
The reason is simply that the others have made greater progress in the middle. With the update we have introduced, we are now catching up, but we no longer rank among the top five.
“We simply need to make further improvements – it’s as straightforward as that. Continue providing the updates.”
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