The Azerbaijan Grand Prix turned out to be a challenging one for the Alpine team, as both drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, faced a difficult race that ultimately yielded no points. Despite their best efforts, the French outfit’s lack of pace and strategy setbacks left them out of the top 10, while rivals like Williams capitalised to score big.
After starting from the back due to a disqualification on Saturday, Gasly fought hard throughout the race and managed a P12 finish on one of the team’s weakest circuits.
While the result wasn’t what he had hoped for, Gasly felt that his performance behind the wheel was one of his best this season, even if the team’s limitations meant there was little reward.
“I think honestly it was one of my best races of the year,” Gasly said after the race.
“Just, yeah, a bit frustrating not to get any reward when I think driving-wise I was at the absolute limit the entire race. I know I didn’t leave any single tenths on the table, I was right at the limit, even though the car was very difficult to drive, but I think I put on one of my best performances.
“Obviously you wouldn’t notice because I’m P12, but in terms of pace, compared with what we had for the entire weekend, it was the max we could do.”
Gasly’s weekend was also hampered by the disqualification during qualifying, which set him back further for the race as he had made Q2. Reflecting on what happened, he acknowledged that the team needs to improve on the areas where they fell short, while also expressing optimism about future improvements.
“It was a shame about the disqualification yesterday, but at the end of the day, we just lacked pace, struggling in the straight and just lack of grip in the corner, traction,” Gasly continued.
“So it was very tough, trying to go on the opposite strategy, hoping for the safety car, which eventually came, but a bit late. And yeah, all in all, I think we just need to get on top of the limitations we have.”
“I know we’ve got some solutions coming in the next few weekends. Also for next year I’m confident that it will be a lot better, but for the time being it’s quite tough.”
Gasly also touched on the broader challenges Alpine has been facing this season, particularly with the car’s set-up and handling. Despite putting the car in the best place it could be, the performance just wasn’t enough to compete with the front-runners.
“I think overall we put the car in the best place it could be with the package we have, but we just need to find more performance.
“They knew it was going to end up like that, so yeah, I mean a virtual safety car would have taken ages. Safety car made sense, red flag probably made sense, but what, I think, is they saw it was two laps to go and they were fine. We saw last time what happened when we restarted for a single lap.”
Teammate Esteban Ocon also endured a difficult weekend, starting from the pit lane due to component changes. While Ocon managed to finish the race, he too was unable to crack the points-paying positions, and admitted that the team needed to turn the page on a tough race.
He had reliability problems in FP1 and FP3, and he ended up hitting the wall at turn 4 in qualifying.
“Yeah, we returned the page from this weekend, it’s been nothing good for us,” Ocon said.
“So we will try and prepare as normal for Singapore, regroup there, try and have normal practice sessions where we maximise the car from a session to another, try and get laps under the belt on the street circuit. And, yeah, hopefully have some fun driving again in Singapore.”
The challenging back-to-back race weekends have clearly taken a toll on Alpine, and Ocon acknowledged the pressure that comes with competing in such intense conditions. However, he remains hopeful that the team can turn things around in the coming races.
“Yeah, difficult, but we will hopefully make the most of it and come back stronger for the next one.”
With Williams scoring ten significant points in the race, Alpine’s position in the Constructors’ Championship has taken a hit as they dropped to P9. Ocon praised Williams’ performance, acknowledging that their result was well-deserved, while also recognising the setback it posed for Alpine.
“It’s a hit for us, for sure, but it’s deserved on their side,” Ocon admitted. “I think they deserve to be scoring today. They’ve been strong the whole weekend.”
For Alpine, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix showed the ongoing challenges they face. While both drivers delivered strong performances behind the wheel, the car’s limitations, strategy mishaps, and a disqualification for Gasly in qualifying hampered their overall results.
With Singapore this weekend, the team will be looking for a fresh start and hoping that upcoming upgrades will allow them to return to form. However, as it stands, the French outfit will need to regroup quickly if they hope to challenge their midfield rivals for the rest of the season.
