Alpine had a difficult start to the 2024 season with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly scoring just one point each after the eighth race in Monaco. Alpine did recover towards the end of the season to finish sixth in the constructor’s championship but the French team would not want to repeat last season’s opening stages.
After the first day of pre-season testing, Pierre Gasly is more optimistic for the 2025 season. The Frenchman believes the team have made gains from the previous season and hopes the team have rectified the gremlins which plagued Alpine last term.
Pierre Gasly pleased with Alpine’s progress
Pierre Gasly was busy during the first day of pre-season testing. The 29-year-old posted the sixth fastest time after recording 72 laps. This data will be vital for the team as they look to start the season off right, and Gasly is remaining positive.
Gasly believes the car has improved after the team worked hard during the off-season. He said: “I’d be surprised if we look as bad as we did a year ago, the team has done a good job over the winter and we are satisfied with the gains we have had.”
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Alpine will be looking to build on the momentum from the end of the 2024 season. They had a productive final five races, which helped them jump the competition to finish well in the standings. They had major struggles last season with their car design, resulting in poor downforce and traction. If they have fixed these issues, they could challenge the top of the midfield.
Alpine team principal wants to continue ‘where we left off’
Oliver Oakes was brought into Alpine as team principal in August 2024 to replace Bruno Famin. After he joined the Enstone-based outfit, results started to pick up. They finished the season strong with a double podium in Brazil, the team’s first since 2013.
Oakes is well aware of the poor start to last season but he now has everything pointing in the right direction and he wants to keep it that way. He said: “Obviously you always want to be quicker, I’m very impatient! But you can see inside the team we are in a really good place. It’s an exciting year, we want to continue where we left off. Those results – Brazil, Qatar, Abu Dhabi – we were in the fight right at the front of the midfield.”
Alpine could flourish under the leadership of Oakes. The Brit founded and was team principal of the successful single seater team Hitech GP. He helped mentor current F1 youngster Liam Lawson, as well as Franco Colapinto and Paul Aron, both reserve drivers with Alpine.
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Being successful with creating his team, he knows how to get the best out of a car. He can also nurture youngsters to reach their highest potential. The future could be bright for Alpine with Oakes at the helm.
