Alpine’s 2024 is becoming more positive as time goes by. The French team has been hard at work to improve as testing showed the reality of their speed. Their efforts to improve the car and reduce weight resulted in Esteban Ocon entering the top 10 in Miami for the first time in 2024.
Among the promising signs for the future of the team, which has very recently undergone a big revolution with a number of senior staff members and leaders departing, is the signing of David Sanchez as Executive Technical Director.
The French engineer, who has had a long Motorsport career with over ten years spent with Ferrari at Maranello, joined the Enstone-based team after a brief return to the first Formula 1 team who had employed him in 2007, McLaren.
Sanchez had left Ferrari in March 2023, taking up a Technical Director role at the Woking-based team at the beginning of the current year, but left the environment due to divergences with the team on his job and his lack of seniority.
His arrival at Alpine has received strong positive feedback from drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, as well as their former driver Fernando Alonso.
Ocon saluted the signing as a way to bring more stability to the team after the many personnel changes, also considering the fact that both drivers’s contracts will expire by the end of the season:
“Things are changing, you saw the announcement of David Sanchez in the team. The team is making an effort to change things and the team is not happy with the situation overall of being where we are.
The Frenchman was also pleased because employing an engineer of his calibre is proof of the fact that Alpine wants to return to its midfield role as soon as possible:
“We should be progressing and not going backwards, like it has been the case in this year. Bruno, all the team members, they are competitors and they want to be doing well.
“Obviously, that is a very strong topic on my side to know that you want to progress towards the front and not just be satisfied with the situation.
On the other hand, former Red Bull driver Pierre Gasly is more cautious, warning that the changes brought by Sanchez will take more time to prove their worth and actually improve the performance of the team.
“It’s tough sometimes, because I do think the team is improving in many different areas. Ultimately, it doesn’t show on the track and sometimes it’s quite tough for the guys, because everyone’s putting a lot of effort.
“But at the minute, the car concept that we’ve got is not working. The most important thing is how we are able to react. There are a couple of good signings for the team.”
There is still hope in the Frenchman’s heart, who knows that now Alpine has found the right path to make gains with the A524.
“I’m aware that it does take some time. We can’t expect a massive change in a very short space of time, but I feel like we’ve got enough data now to really spot what’s working and what’s not, and then it’s a matter of how we tackle it.”
Two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso was also asked for his opinion on the matter, having worked with Sanchez at both McLaren and Ferrari, as well as winning championships with the Enstone-based squad.
While praising him and the knowledge he will bring to the French team, he warns that a new employee, as talented as he can be, won’t be enough to totally revolutionise the approach and the performance of the team overnight.
“It is. All the technical directors, senior people, designers in Formula 1, they have an incredible knowledge about the cars, and they are all very professional, and very good additions to any team.
“Alpine will for sure benefit from that. But we saw many times that one person cannot change the team completely.It’s a group. It’s a momentum that you need to build in a team. And let’s see in the future.
“I hope Alpine can make a good step now,” the Spaniard concluded.
