The 2024 Formula 1 season could not have started worse for Alpine.
The team’s 2024 challenger — the A524 — came in overweight and the team lagged at the back of the pack during pre-season testing. Fears were confirmed in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, when Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon locked out the back row during qualifying, starting the race at the back of the field.
The duo finished the first race of the season down in P17 and P18 and faced a long climb to get into the midfield.
But slowly, results improved, and then came the São Paulo Grand Prix. Ocon and Gasly survived difficult weather conditions and a chance of schedule, delivering a stunning double-podium result for the team. With Ocon finishing second and Gasly third in the main event — and Gasly adding a P7 in the F1 Sprint Race — Alpine banked a staggering 35 points over the weekend in Brazil.
Vaulting them into sixth in the Constructors’ Championship standings, all the way up from ninth.
Now the team hopes to hang on in the standings as the grid heads to the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the first of three straight races to close the season.
“We are heading back to Las Vegas for the second year, and I am really looking forward to it. We had a great result there last season, going from 16th on the grid to fourth at the chequered flag,” said Ocon in the team’s media preview. “The circuit is incredible to drive with all the drivers going flat out for a high percentage of each lap. Driving through the heart of the city is like no other. There are night races under the lights and then there is a night race under the lights of Las Vegas. The aim will be to keep the momentum going from São Paulo and maximise the weekend to hold our P6 position in the championship.”
“It’s really exciting to be heading back to Las Vegas,” began Gasly. “The championship battle remains close for P6 and we want to hold on to our position so we need to make sure we execute everything in the best possible way. We’ve proved that we can qualify well and fight for points in the races and that’s our target in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. It’ll be a challenge, but the team have been exceptional and I really think we can do it.
“Last year we qualified well in Las Vegas, but the race was difficult for my side of the garage especially with tire management. The late start time for the sessions and the colder weather makes it a complicated event for tire warm-up which will be interesting again, but I must say, I had a lot of fun driving the circuit last year. I’m looking forward to more of the same this time and we have our eyes on another good performance.”
