The Chinese GP ended with Alpine leaving Shanghai without scoring any points. From Saturday’s Sprint race, the French team struggled, with Pierre Gasly finishing in twelfth place, while Jack Doohan ended up last due to a penalty following contact with Gabriel Bortoleto.
Pierre Gasly’s Disqualification
Alpine’s difficulties continued on Sunday with no improvements. Starting from sixteenth, Pierre Gasly managed to gain three positions on the opening lap, but after his pit stop, he fell back down the order. He ultimately finished the GP in eleventh place. However, after the race, he was disqualified due to a technical infringement, along with Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Pierre Gasly’s infraction concerned the car’s weight. Every car undergoes a post-race inspection, and the Alpine A524 was found to be one kilogram lighter than the FIA’s minimum weight requirement of 800 kg. This violation automatically led to disqualification.
Jack Doohan and the Penalties Throughout the Weekend
Jack Doohan’s weekend was also marred by multiple penalties in both the Sprint and the GP. During the main race, Jack Doohan suffered a lock-up, which accidentally forced Hadjar off the track. The stewards penalized him with a 10-second time penalty, dropping him to thirteenth place.
Team principal Oliver Oakes commented on Jack Doohan’s race in the team’s recap:
“Jack had pace comparable to the drivers around him and fought well. In the end, we were missing something here, and we need to understand why we weren’t competitive on this track to see where we can improve in the upcoming races.”
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