Gasly fears ‘tough’ period for Alpine with no upgrades in sight
Pierre Gasly has braced himself for a potentially rough ride in the upcoming races, as Alpine’s A524 will not receive any significant upgrades "in the near future."
So far, the 2024 F1 season has fallen far short of Alpine's expectations.
After exceeding forecasts by finishing fourth in the 2022 constructors' championship and maintaining a respectable sixth place in 2023, the French outfit currently finds itself mired in eighth position in F1’s Constructors’ Championship, just two points ahead of Williams.
The recent Canadian Grand Prix offered a fleeting moment of optimism for the team, with both Gasly and Esteban Ocon capitalizing on the wet conditions to finish ninth and tenth respectively.
However, the double-points finish was overshadowed by internal team friction, highlighting additional challenges within Alpine.
With no upgrades planned for the immediate future, Alpine is facing a challenging summer on the track, validating Gasly’s concerns.
"We won't have any upgrades in the near future," Gasly said in Montreal, quoted by Motorsport.com.
"We know the target is to have something a bit more significant at some stage in the year."
“I expect the next few races to be quite tough if it's normal conditions, but this is Formula 1 and you always have chances at times.
“That's why we've got to make sure we stay on top of it, and until we have the upgrades, just try to grab any opportunities that may arise."
Indeed, Gasly suggests that solid team work will be paramount for Alpine to help it navigate the challenging period up ahead and fight its Haas and Williams direct rivals.
"That's what we need until the end of the year, because we know Williams seems to have a competitive car," he added.
"Looking at the qualifying [in Montreal], it was quite impressive. Haas seems to have some good pace at times.
"We know on days like today we've got to make the best out of what we have and we can't afford to do any mistakes, can't afford to take any unnecessary risks.
“It was well managed, and hopefully, we're going to continue like that until the end of the year."
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