Ocon Reveals When Alpine Realized For First Time 'There Were Some Issues'

Friday, 15 March 2024 at 07:30

Esteban Ocon discussed the moment when he and Alpine found out they had problems ahead of the 2024 season.

Alpine totally missed their targets at the start of this season. Their current car is not working at all, and it may be even slower than it was at the end of 2023.

Esteban Ocon wasn't able to set a faster time during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix qualifying than he did last year, and together with Pierre Gasly, they have not earned a single point so far.

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As it stands after the second race of the season, Alpine is the last in the Championship. But when did they first find out that they had issues? Esteban Ocon told the media:

"In the simulator in December. I think that's when we realized that there were some issues that we needed to fix. And you know, that's probably when did realize it."

Alpine now finds itself in a very similar position to McLaren's at the beginning of 2023. The Papaya team proved it was possible to get out of it. But can Alpine do the same?

"I think the whole year, you know, we need to improve, step by step. Obviously, it's going to take time, it's not going to be something overnight."

The French team also lost some valuable members, such as technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer, who resigned after the season's first race.

Nevertheless, Bruno Famin introduced a new three-pillared structure that he believes will be more successful in bringing the team to its ultimate goal of fighting for the Championship.

For now, though, Alpine's main goal is probably to recover at least to the top of the midfield. Ocon expressed hope with a few upgrades the team has in the pipeline.

"There is a plan to bring updates throughout the year. So, hopefully, after every update, we're going to make steps."