Alpine heads to China with hopes of securing some points after a promising performance in Australia. The French team came close to a top-10 finish, with Pierre Gasly crossing the line in 11th place. Meanwhile, Jack Doohan endured a tough start to the season, crashing his A524 and retiring from the race. Below are the reactions from the Enstone-based team’s drivers and team principal.
Pierre Gasly’s Comments
“It’s disappointing to come away empty-handed after such a tough race in extremely challenging conditions. It was a lottery, and we managed to stay in the fight for most of the race. The final downpour decided everything—some gained an advantage by pitting early, while others, like us, took the risk of staying out for an extra lap or two. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” he said.
“I’m happy with the competitiveness of our package. We showed good pace, and I’m looking ahead to next weekend in China with confidence. We’ll focus on the positives and keep pushing as a team. The lack of grip made it a very tricky race, even for the most experienced drivers on the grid. Jack did a great job all weekend. He was caught out by the weather, but I know we’re both determined to do our best next week, hoping to fight for points again,” he concluded.
Jack Doohan’s Comments
“It was a generally positive weekend, but it ended unfortunately. A combination of factors led to this result, and we’ll analyze them together to learn and ensure it doesn’t happen again. It’s a tough learning curve, but I’ve taken the time to process what happened and am now focusing on what’s ahead. The positive takeaways outweigh today’s result. We were strong yesterday, but the yellow flag caught us out. The pace was consistent throughout the weekend, which gives us confidence going into each race.”
“With Shanghai coming up next weekend, we’ll regroup and aim to come back even stronger. Overall, it was an incredible weekend. The fans were amazing, the atmosphere was fantastic, and it was truly special to race in front of my home crowd at the start of my first full season.”
Oliver Oakes’ Comments
“After a race like today, it’s easy to feel disappointed, but there are also positives to take away. We’ve shown that we are firmly in the midfield battle, and with such a tight field, the pecking order will undoubtedly shift from circuit to circuit throughout the season. The conditions were incredibly tough, with multiple incidents during the race.”
“Pierre was putting in a solid performance until the changing conditions cost him a points finish. For Jack, it wasn’t the race he wanted, but he maintained a strong pace throughout the weekend. With this back-to-back start to the season, our focus now shifts to China, where we will look to regroup and aim for a better result,” he concluded.
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