Why Alpine failed to make a stab at the Formula One race in Italy with Pierre Gasly and how hopeful they are for improvement in the upcoming Grands Prix
“I don’t think we’ve ever been so chanceless,” says Pierre Gasly. At least Alpine, as a team with both cars, has never been ranked worse than P17 and P18 in qualifying for the 2023 Italian Grand Prix at Monza so far this year. And things didn’t go much better in the race: Esteban Ocon dropped out with technical problems, Gasly only finished in P15.
That was an “incredibly painful” experience for him, says Gasly, who had been third on the podium at Zandvoort. Alpine was miles away from that in Monza.
According to Gasly, this scenario did not come unexpectedly: “We had already guessed from the beginning that Monza would be a painful race. It was also really difficult. And we saw it on Saturday: There is simply no magic that would work overnight. It’s all quite painful in the cockpit. “
How Gasly explains the unusual pit strategy
The weak form of the A523 had also given birth to the pit strategy: Gasly was already at the service on lap ten, unusually early. But Alpine had something in mind: “We wanted to try something different with both cars.”
“If there is a safety car period, then either Esteban or I benefit from it, either immediately or at a later stage. We just lack so much power that you have to gamble there,” Gasly says. “And unfortunately it’s no secret: if you’re competitive, it always somehow still turns out pretty well. But if you’re not competitive, it’s harder.”
And it didn’t end well for Alpine and Gasly because there were no yellows in the race. The team was stuck in the back of the field and stayed there.
Gasly calls for thorough reappraisal
“The most important thing now is to really understand and quantify all of this,” Gasly says, listing some leading questions: “Where did the drop in performance come from? And how do we make our package stronger next year?”
He says he is particularly confused by the contrast with Zandvoort: “Last week, on the same tyres and under my own steam, I passed Carlos [Sainz] on the track, who is on the podium this week. We, on the other hand, are almost a lap down.”
Of course, Monza is a circuit where power output is paramount, he said. “But it also depends on the complete car, and that’s where we should actually look better,” Gasly says.
What can an update do for the A523?
What could help is new parts for the A523. Gasly, at any rate, hints at “another update” that should be ready “shortly”. “Then we’ll see,” says the Alpine driver.
And which of the upcoming tracks will play more into his team’s cards again, he doesn’t know for sure. “But we do our best every single weekend,” Gasly assures.
“There is now a clear trend in the tracks where we are more or less competitive. That’s something we need to work on for next year. We need a more rounded package that works everywhere. “
