That the 2024 Formula 1 championship would be a tough year for Alpine was already apparent from the faces of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon on the day of the car’s presentation. The two drivers, captured on camera, showed rather disappointed and resigned expressions at the sight of the French team’s latest creation.
The track then confirmed those initial impressions. In the first races of the season, Alpine was by far the worst car on the grid, on par with a Sauber that is still stuck at zero points. Subsequent changes to the car and the team allowed the former Renault outfit to make some progress, returning to the midfield fight. With six races left in the season, they’ve scored thirteen points, three fewer than Williams, which currently holds eighth place.
“It will be difficult,” says Esteban Ocon
“It will be difficult to recover the position from Williams,” said Esteban Ocon, discussing what could be the end of the season for Alpine. “They’ve been improving a lot in recent weeks and for most of the year, they’ve been faster than us. Right now, we’re ninth in the constructors’ standings, and this should make us reflect on the car’s performance,” added the French driver.
“The whole team is giving its all to try to improve the situation, but it will be difficult to recover. Of course, we won’t give up and we’ll give our best until the end of the season.”
“For me, it hasn’t been an easy season. I’ve had many issues throughout the year,” Esteban Ocon explained, who is now close to joining Haas. “We’ve tried to change something to make sure I enjoy driving the car, which in the end is the most important thing. I still want to close this chapter of my life in the best possible way. It certainly hasn’t gone as I would have wanted, and right now it’s quite a sad situation. I hope we can find some satisfaction in the last few races.” – the French driver concluded.
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