Heading into the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, the BWT Alpine F1 Team were worried they were going to start the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season on the back foot, and their concerns were soon proven to be correct.
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly qualified nineteenth and twentieth at the Bahrain International Circuit and finished seventeenth and eighteenth, ahead only of the heavily delayed Valtteri Bottas and Logan Sargeant, both of whom had technical issues.
The car is supposedly overweight and unstable, and with the power unit already underpowered compared to their rivals, and the pain was evident across the board in Bahrain.
And heading into the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Alpine has announced a shuffle in its technical department, with technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer leaving their positions.
Team Principal Bruno Famin now has a new technical team beneath him, with Joe Burnell announced as technical director (engineering), David Wheater as technical director (aerodynamics) and Ciaron Pilbeam as technical director (performance). Eric Meignan remains in his position as technical director (power unit), although his focus is on developing the new engine for the 2026 season.
“We have decided to make these organisational changes as we can clearly see that we are not where we want nor need to be in terms of performance level and it is time to take another step in terms of organisation and people,” said Famin.
“The new three-pillared structure with three Technical Directors, each specialising in different areas, will bring better work and collaboration across our technical areas and contribute to delivering performance from the factories to the race track.
“I trust fully in the abilities of Joe, David and Ciaron to work closely together in bringing the team the performance and improvements that it needs.
“Finally, I would like to thank Matt and Dirk for their efforts over the last couple of years at the team and wish them the very best in the next chapter of their careers.”
Gasly Says A524 Weight Issue ‘Not That Bad’
Speaking during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, Gasly, who started at the very back of the grid in Bahrain for a second consecutive season, downplayed the effect of the weight of the Alpine 524, feeling it is not as bad as people are speculating.
The car was the slowest on track during Qualifying, although Ocon was less than a tenth of a second off the pack, with Gasly a couple of tenths worse off. It was a very tough race too, with neither driver able to make any progress on track all evening long.
Some people in Bahrain were estimating that the car was more than eleven kilograms too heavy heading into the season, but Gasly says this estimate is wide of the target, although he does acknowledge there is work to do to reduce the overall weight of the A524.
“It’s not as much. It’s not as bad as you mentioned,” Gasly is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “So there is obviously lap time to find a bit everywhere. And looking at the gaps, there is some work to do.
“Everything matters, and what you said, two kilos of lap time equals six hundredths, and six hundredths will make a difference.
“There is some weight to be [lost], there’s some performance to come on the chassis, there will be upgrades. It’s not the position we want to be in, but we’re all on the same boat, and we’ll try to get the best out of it every single time.”
Gasly says there are key areas where Alpine need to improve, with their performance seriously lacking when the racing began in Bahrain. However, it is clear that progress is being made behind the scenes and in the meantime, they will need to make the best of a bad situation.
“I think it’s very, very clear where we’ve got to make the improvement,” he said. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t come as a surprise to us that we are lacking performance. And then for the time being, we have got to make the best with what we’ve got.
“We know we have to improve in many areas. I think we know we have solutions that are going to come at some points on the new car. But we’re not starting from where we would have liked. I see a lot of positive things going inside the team – mechanics, engineering going on at the factory.
“It doesn’t translate onto the track for now, but I know, medium to long term, it will. It’s all about trying to maximise what we got, which we didn’t do to be fair in that last run of Q1, so there are a few things we’ve got to do better. And then we’ll keep working, but it’s not going to be an easy start of the year.”
Ocon cites the Importance for Alpine to be Patient
Team-mate Ocon says everyone within Alpine needs to be patient ahead of the planned upgrades to the A524, although he acknowledges it is far from an ideal start to the campaign to be at the back of the pack.
Ocon started nineteenth and only had the satisfaction of beating Gasly in a fair fight on Saturday evening under the floodlights in Bahrain, but the Frenchman insists there is no point in panicking and everyone needs to keep fighting.
“We don’t like the situation as a whole, no one likes to be at the back,” Ocon said to Motorsport.com. “We’re all competitors in this team. And it’s very important to be united, to keep the chin up and move forward.
“This team some years ago they created a winning car and those ideas were made in the same place as it is today, Viry and Enstone.
“So, we can be repeating all these things, and I trust the team to be making a step forward.”
Ocon knows that ‘every little detail counts’ as Alpine look to solve their problems, and he believes they will not be in the same position once the updates come.
“Every little detail counts,” he added. “And that’s where by staying united and keeping on pushing all together I’m sure we are going to extract a couple of tenths.
“And a couple of tenths could make us pass two teams today and put us very close to Q2. Everything will make a difference until the end.
“It’s not because we are here now that in five or six race time it’s going to be the same story.”
Famin Seeking Progress after Poor Start
Team Principal Famin, who took over from the ousted Otmar Szafnauer midway through the 2023 season, says it is important to focus on progress rather than Alpine’s early season form.
Alpine famously had a one-hundred race plan to become race winners and championship contenders but have already discarded that idea, and they have lost across the past couple of years a number of high-profile members of staff, including their star driver Fernando Alonso.
And heading into the rest of the twenty-four season, Famin says it is important Alpine focus on development to ensure they bring themselves off the bottom of the pack.
“Our objective this year will be to generate the dynamic in improving the car, and improving the team as well,” Famin is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “That is the team as a whole and not only trackside.
“It is much more than giving a target in terms of final result or position in the championship or podiums. What I really need to see is this dynamic.
“The car is what it is right now. The important thing is to be able to develop it together with the team, with the factories at Viry and Enstone, and trackside. Everybody pushing for improvement.”
