There are doubts in the Formula 1 paddock as to whether Alpine can emulate McLaren this season, BBC reporter Andrew Benson says.
Alpine endured a miserable season-opener in Bahrain, with Friday’s qualifying session confirming them to be the slowest team on the grid over one lap.
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly locked out the back row, and Benson says expectations for the French team are low for the remainder of 2024.
The drivers came home in 17th and 18th respectively in the race, gaining a couple of places as Stake F1 Team driver Valtteri Bottas and the Williams of Logan Sargeant hit trouble.
Gasly appeared to become particularly frustrated during the Grand Prix, with Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok reporting that he was ‘ranting a lot‘ over the radio.
Alpine have already made further changes behind the scenes, with technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer leaving their positions.
The Enstone-based team finished sixth in the constructors’ standings last year after amassing 120 points.
Alpine may struggle to match McLaren turnaround
Writing in a Q&A for BBC Sport, Benson reported that Alpine’s struggles stem from the car being overweight and lacking in downforce as well as top speed.
The team insist it will take time to master their new design philosophy, but ‘the simple truth’ is that teams are bound to tumble down the order if they miss their targets.
Benson points out that McLaren turned their 2023 season around after a woeful Bahrain GP that saw Oscar Piastri fail to finish and Lando Norris come home two laps down.
After a major upgrade at the British Grand Prix in the summer, the two drivers both qualified in the top three behind Max Verstappen.
McLaren ended up scoring nine podiums, the joint-second most behind champions Red Bull, and finishing fourth in the championship.
However, Benson says ‘there are not many who believe’ that Alpine are capable of replicating that trajectory.
Alpine investors will demand more
It’s been a period of significant change at Alpine, formerly known as Renault and Lotus.
The team dramatically dismissed team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane at last year’s Belgian Grand Prix.
In the autumn, they received investment from a group of celebrities that included NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes, golfer Rory McIlroy and footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Speaking after the race in Bahrain, Szafnauer blamed the team’s performance on ‘bad decisions’ from their hierarchy.
He believes they have sewn insecurity at all levels, inevitably leading to a regression on the race track.
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