A Sunday that Alpine will not forget in São Paulo. Under the downpour at Interlagos, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly secured a double podium that allowed the team to jump from ninth to sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship standings. The result lifted spirits internally after a very complicated season, with a car that started poorly and remained without updates for a long time. It wasn’t until Austin that updates appeared on the A524, but despite the podium, the road ahead is still long.
Development stalled since China
The double podium in São Paulo came under very particular circumstances, aided by a combination of team merit and luck in waiting for the red flag to change tires. The cars driven by Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly nonetheless showed impressive pace in the wet, also benefiting in the second half of the race from clear air. Certainly, the rain leveled the playing field in Brazil, helping the A524 find its optimal operating window, but some credit must also be given to the valuable updates from October.
It had been since April that Alpine introduced any developments, with the last specification of the floor dating back to the Chinese Grand Prix. From that moment, the changes on the car were mostly adaptations to different track types, with no general updates. Initially, development focused on weight reduction, due to a car that was overweight and did not meet the minimum weight until the Miami Grand Prix.
During the summer season, Alpine dedicated itself to a long period of study and restructuring of the technical staff. The team direction passed from Bruno Famin to Oliver Oakes, with David Sanchez replacing Matt Harman as technical director, alongside former Ferrari engineer Jacopo Fantoni. Michael Broadhurst and Vin Dahanani, coming from Red Bull, were appointed to lead aerodynamics and vehicle performance, respectively. After restructuring the technical department, only then could the development work proceed.
The October package
Alpine arrived in Austin with the first real update package of the 2024 Formula 1 season. The main changes concern the floor, which represents a mix between an evolution and a revolution of the previous concept. The geometry of the Venturi tunnels has changed, with a different layout and, therefore, a different distribution of pressures, resulting in a new aerodynamic balance. From the outside, it is clear that the lateral anti-intrusion cone is now more visible, indicating a different floor design.
The outer edge of the floor has also changed. With the Austin package, Alpine abandons the dual cascade of profiles in the Red Bull style, opting instead for a Mercedes-style setup with a raised center that includes three vortex generators. As often happens, the renewal of the floor is accompanied by an update to the upper bodywork, optimizing the aerodynamic interaction between the two components. In particular, the rearward positioning of the undercut sidepods stands out, with the ramp now descending further back, following a similar evolution to the one pursued by Aston Martin.
Work in progress
The double podium in Brazil surprised not only because of Alpine’s performance during the season but also because it was achieved on one of the tracks that was theoretically most challenging for the A524. The Anglo-French car is particularly deficient in traction and struggles to stabilize its ride height over bumps and dips, two major drawbacks on a track like Brazil’s, full of tight corners and irregularities.
Nonetheless, the result does not fool the team, with Esteban Ocon himself acknowledging that at the start of the weekend, the car was extremely difficult to drive in dry conditions. Behind the scenes, however, important developments are in progress for 2025, starting with a new suspension concept to better handle the bumps and keep the floor working at a more stable ride height. Alpine has medium- to long-term ambitions, while for the next season, the goal will be to avoid having the São Paulo podium be the last for a Renault power unit.
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