After a challenging Suzuka Grand Prix, Alpine F1’s director Bruno Famin faces the aftermath of a disappointing race marked by intra-team collision.
The two A524s fell short of expectations, a situation the Frenchman attributes to a collision involving his own drivers at the second start.
“Our race was compromised by damage to both cars during an on-track incident at the second standing start. Both vehicles suffered significant downforce loss, which cost us dearly in terms of performance and lap time. Despite this, we lack pace and must continue to progress in all areas and improve the car.”
Esteban Ocon started 15th on new soft tyres and finished 15th. He pitted on lap 19 for new hard tyres and on lap 33 for new mediums.
“Today’s race wasn’t easy. We sustained some damage at the start, then tried different strategic options to give ourselves a chance to fight. Ultimately, we weren’t fast enough to compete and hold off our rivals after the restart. It’s unfortunate to have had to deal with a damaged car, but I don’t think it changed the overall picture much. We struggled with race pace compared to qualifying, so we have a lot to analyze and I hope we can come back stronger for the next event in Shanghai.”
Pierre Gasly started 17th on new soft tyres and finished 16th. He pitted on laps 16 and 32 for new hard tyres.
“Unfortunately, we experienced a very long afternoon at Suzuka. There were positives, like our two very good standing starts. During the second one, after the red flag, I passed the Haas, then Esteban, before finding myself next to Yuki [Tsunoda]. I was then trapped between the two, leading to an unfortunate racing incident. I had significant damage to the floor, costing us about thirty points of downforce and lap time. From there, the race was very complicated and there wasn’t much we could do but push as hard as possible. We are not where we want to be, but it’s good to have brought our first updates this weekend. We must continue to develop the concept and bring parts as soon as possible as we need them to improve our current position.”
Alpine F1’s Suzuka Struggle: Famin Reflects. Alpine F1’s Suzuka Struggle: Famin Reflects
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