Before Bahrain, Alpine was still the only team with zero points in the standings, despite seeming like one of the teams capable of aiming for the upper part of the midfield after the preseason tests. However, that zero next to the “points” column did not represent the real potential of the A525, which, without a doubt, could have scored more in this early part of the season.
In Sakhir, though, the first points of the season finally came, which helped to ease some pressure on the team, not because there were doubts about the overall value of the car, but because staying last in the standings with zero points added frustration, placing even more weight on missed opportunities.
“I think we needed it, we really needed it. You turn on the TV and you see zero at the bottom of the screen, it adds a bit of pressure, but in general, we knew we had a good car. Even at the beginning of this year, we feel like we have a really strong group. The strategy was good, the teamwork is there, and I think it was just a matter of when, not if, we would score points,” explained Oliver Oakes, Alpine’s Team Principal.
“In Australia, coming away empty-handed was a bit frustrating because we had been in the group throughout the race. So it’s nice to finally start moving things around.” In Melbourne, before the rain arrived, Pierre Gasly was in the points zone and, with the right strategy, he could have taken home a solid haul.
“I think in China, we saw some limits of the package, and in Japan, we were better off, but we need to keep improving: we’ve only done four races and we’re still learning at every GP how to set up the car.” Indeed, in Shanghai, there were some issues in certain sections of the track, especially with bouncing, which also limited the car’s performance in the second sector.
To explain the top 10 finish in Bahrain, another layer of analysis is needed to understand why the first points came from understanding… qualifying. Before Bahrain, the best dry lap result was 9th place in Melbourne, followed by a disappointing weekend in Shanghai and a Q3 appearance almost reached in Suzuka, a track where overtaking had been nearly impossible in the race.
And that’s the key point: qualifying performance. At the start of this season, Alpine struggled a lot to understand the use of the softer tire. It was somewhat the same in Bahrain. After the free practice sessions, Pierre Gasly was in the lower positions, but with a constant: the pace and feel with the harder compounds were good, but there was a lack of grip with the soft tire.
Some glimmers of hope and signs of competitiveness were visible with Jack Doohan, who had made a few mistakes in his lap but still showed potential to fight for Q3, which he narrowly missed the following day. This gave Gasly some confidence going into Saturday, despite his qualifying position.
A major step forward was achieved, even though it was difficult to imagine it would be this significant. However, this shows how narrow the margins are and how even small details can play a decisive role.
“I think Pierre did an excellent job. By the end of FP2, we weren’t as competitive as a team. We struggled a bit with the soft tire, so I think the work done overnight was very positive. Both drivers deserve credit because Jack [Doohan] was a bit more satisfied and is very open with Pierre, which I think is very positive. They helped each other and shared.”
Starting from the second row, Gasly had an easy race, staying in the top 5 until lap 10, when Andrea Kimi Antonelli overtook him, dropping the Frenchman to 6th. In terms of strategy, the Safety Car did not play in favor of the two Alpines, especially considering Max Verstappen’s performance up to that point.
Red Bull was the only team to use two sets of hard tires, and although it went somewhat unnoticed, it was during the stint when Verstappen was using the hard compound that Jack Doohan managed to make up four seconds while on the medium tire, confirming how that compound did not work well on the RB21, which suffered from a clear lack of grip and balance.
The Safety Car reset the gaps and allowed Verstappen, who had meanwhile switched to the only set of medium tires available, to charge forward and pass Pierre Gasly, who was struggling with tire management, right on the final lap. A scenario somewhat similar to what happened in Australia, when in the closing laps, Pierre Gasly was overtaken by Ferrari and McLaren, suffering from the degradation of his intermediate tires.
A similar fate befell Jack Doohan, who slipped out of the top 10 after a possible points finish, being passed fairly early by drivers on soft and medium tires, benefiting from better grip.
As seen in qualifying, the car performed very well in the fast corners, thanks to a precise front end that, in certain sections, brought the A525 almost on par with the McLaren. It is well-known that the Anglo-French team suffers from a deficit in engine power, costing a few tenths, but the Team Principal wanted to emphasize that the entire package needs improvement.
“In some ways, I agree, but I think the interesting thing is to understand which aspects of the engine are affected. Is it torque? Is it recharge? Is it clipping? I believe there are many factors in play, and that’s why it’s not fair to point fingers. I think this year there will be races where our package will suit us better, and others that will be more difficult, and we’ll just have to accept that.”
Now comes Jeddah, where last year all the technical problems of the A524’s package were evident: weight, poor aerodynamic performance, and lack of traction. A year later, the situation is deeply different, and the goal is to ensure that the Bahrain result was not just an outlier.
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