Photo credits: BWT Alpine F1 Team
BWT Alpine F1 Team had another weekend to forget in Baku. Through it all the mechanics worked tirelessly and the team is eager for them to have some respite before the exertion of Miami. Sporting Director Alan Permane also had some good news for fans of the French manufacturer seeing how the team data indicated that the floor update was a success as another tenth in found in their quest to hunt down the midfield.
Speaking post-race in Baku to select media, after his team had once again concluded a race weekend ‘pointless’, Alpine’s Sporting Director Alan Permane talked about the team’s recent upgrade.
“It worked, in fact it overperformed a little bit,” said Permane. “So, that’s a positive to take away. It looks very much like we’re going to continue that trend of just being able to put things on the car without really having to test them too much, which is such a huge benefit, and something that we grew in confidence with last year.”
Alpine (having been P4 at the end of last year) is only P6 in the F1 Constructors’ Championship at present – with eight points from four races. However, the team is known for starting a season slowly and Saudi Arabia showed their potential with a double-points finish for their Fench drivers. That is the race Alan Permane was unsurprisingly eager to refer to in his recent remarks.
“If we say Saudi was a clean one, and we say our objective was to close the gap on Mercedes and Ferrari over the winter, we can say we did that,” claimed Permane. “I don’t think anyone expected Aston Martin to take the jump they’ve taken, so they jumped both of those teams, by the look of it. That [Saudi Arabia] felt like a normal weekend and like where the car is, and if you look at Melbourne performance it was in line with our expectations…There isn’t an underlying problem or anything like that, that’s for sure.”
Whether a successful race or not, the mechanics are always tirelessly working away. Baku’s incident-filled weekend for Alpine saw them called on more than usual.
“They’ve worked so hard this weekend,” said Permane. “They’ve had a hell of a job with Pierre’s engine change. And that has knock-on effects that you guys [the media] don’t see.”
A commitment possibly also not made aware to the new F1 fan as this is not featured on Netflix Drive to Survive.
“They arrive here on a Wednesday and build the cars, but we also build our spares up: spare gearbox, spare engines and stuff like that. When you use all those on Friday, they have got to stay late Friday night, as there’s no curfew on Friday night on a sprint weekend, because the cars are in parc ferme. So, they were here until 10 or 11 o’clock, replenishing that spare that they just used, and making sure we’ve got an engine and gearbox ready to go if we do the next
Races come thick and fast in modern day F1 and so do the flights. Permane highlighted that he hoped they would have some downtime before the events of the Miami Grand Prix.
“The next thing they have got is a gruelling 14-hour flight to Miami, and some of them will be straight into work Tuesday morning. How you recover from it, it’s not easy, especially going straight into another race. But we’ll make the best of it. Some people will have a day off on Tuesday and will no doubt enjoy some sunshine and relax. We’ll do what we can for those people that have worked long hours here [in Baku] and have to work Tuesday. We’ll [try to] get them away on Wednesday and Thursday. That at least gets them a bit of downtime, to have a meal and a pint out or whatever people use for their recuperation,” explained Permane.
A group of people who were no doubt in need of a drink was the fleet of photographers who were released into a live pit lane and encountered Esteban Ocon on the final lap of Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. When discussing the incident, Permane (well known as a longtime stalwart of the motorsport community) likened the scene to Group B rallying of the 1980s.
“It’s something we’ve seen before,” reflected Permane. “There’s a keenness, I don’t know why the photographers are allowed there, but of course I understand people want to get the shots of the cars coming into parc ferme and things like that.
“But the pitlane is still open and the racetrack is still live. I don’t think it’s rocket science to think that, I think it’d be quite a simple one.”
“Esteban’s doing 80kph so he can stop the car pretty quickly if he needs to. So, whilst it was quite scary to look at, I’m sure he was in full control, and no one was in serious danger. But it was a bit like a scene from Group B rallying days, wasn’t it? With the crowds on the track and parting as he got there? The biggest problem is if some weren’t watching. But he’s not moving very quickly at that point.” concluded Permane on the matter.
Meanwhile, having drawn their own conclusions after reviewing the incident and considering remarks from its own parc fermé personnel after the race, the FIA promised that “immediate steps” would be taken to ensure that such a dangerous situation is not repeated.
Back on track, BWT Alpine F1 Team need to make their own immediate steps to not only gain ground on their rivals in front but also create daylight between those chasing them from behind. As a result of that, this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix could be a huge moment for the team and they will be hoping for a clean and normal weekend. One can imagine though that if the season is anything to go by so far – F1 may have other things in mind.
