Formula 1 begins the final phase of the 2024 season this weekend with the holding of three races in as many weeks. The Las Vegas Grand Prix kicks off the festivities this Friday with the holding of the first two free practice sessions. All dressed in pink to end this campaign, Alpine-Renault started in the best possible way with an appearance at the front of the peloton. The battle for sixth place in the championship is in full swing.
This will be one of the attractions at the end of the 2024 season, in the shadow of the fight for world titles. After its double podium in Brazil, the factory team of the Boulogne-Billancourt firm will fight to defend its position in the manufacturers' ranking. The smile and motivation are back in the stand of the French structure, determined to transform this miraculous comeback into a lasting situation within three races.
The fight with Haas-Ferrari and RB-Honda RBPT will be extremely close. The first mentioned delivers a very solid season while the second benefits from technical developments coming directly from its big sister – and reference – Red Bull. However, the A524 is also progressing with a better understanding of the car, and notable progress noted over the last few races. The results of the free practice sessions in Vegas also confirm this impression.
The pink cars performed well, both in terms of timing and reliability, with many laps recorded. Pierre Gasly leads the way over the two sessions, systematically being the best of the others and above all, he is able to settle in with the best teams, with an interesting sixth time during FP2. He is ahead of Kevin Magnussen whose Haas-Ferrari seems determined not to leave the Alpine-Renault alone for too long.
Esteban Ocon suffers more than his teammate with an absence in the top 10 in both sessions. The Frenchman nevertheless remains in the game to support this battle which deserves to be as interesting as it is unexpected. In light of the first results, fighting to maintain this position in the championship seems a feasible mission for Alpine-Renault but it will be necessary to deliver a perfect copy, and maintain this performance over all three races. To be continued…
| Pos. | Pilot | Team | Temps | Gap | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:35.001 | 26 | |
| 2 | G. Russell | Mercedes | 1:35.397 | +0.396s | 29 |
| 3 | L. Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:35.954 | +0.953s | 27 |
| 4 | C. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:36.007 | +1.006s | 27 |
| 5 | M. Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:36.038 | +1.037s | 25 |
| 6 | C. Sainz | Ferrari | 1:36.218 | +1.217s | 26 |
| 7 | F. Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:36.262 | +1.261s | 25 |
| 8 | O. Plates | McLaren Mercedes | 1:36.451 | +1.450s | 26 |
| 9 | P. Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:36.478 | +1.477s | 24 |
| 10 | S.Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:36.536 | +1.535s | 25 |
| 11 | K. Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:36.811 | +1.810s | 24 |
| 12 | L. Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:36.817 | +1.816s | 25 |
| 13 | A. Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:36.948 | +1.947s | 26 |
| 14 | E. Ocon | Alpine Renault | 1:37.152 | +2.151s | 25 |
| 15 | N. Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:37.200 | +2.199s | 24 |
| 16 | V. Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:37.765 | +2.764s | 25 |
| 17 | F. Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 1:38.025 | +3.024s | 28 |
| 18 | Z. Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:38.350 | +3.349s | 23 |
| 19 | Y. Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 1:38.574 | +3.573s | 23 |
| 20 | L. Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 1:38.730 | +3.729s | 28 |
| Pos. | Pilot | Team | Temps | Gap | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L. Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:33.825 | 25 | |
| 2 | L. Norris | McLaren Mercedes | 1:33.836 | +0.011s | 25 |
| 3 | G. Russell | Mercedes | 1:34.015 | +0.190s | 29 |
| 4 | C. Sainz | Ferrari | 1:34.105 | +0.280s | 29 |
| 5 | C. Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:34.313 | +0.488s | 29 |
| 6 | P. Gasly | Alpine Renault | 1:34.651 | +0.826s | 30 |
| 7 | K. Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | 1:34.686 | +0.861s | 20 |
| 8 | O. Plates | McLaren Mercedes | 1:34.798 | +0.973s | 26 |
| 9 | N. Hulkenberg | Haas Ferrari | 1:34.818 | +0.993s | 24 |
| 10 | Y. Tsunoda | RB Honda RBPT | 1:34.997 | +1.172s | 23 |
| 11 | V. Bottas | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:35.020 | +1.195s | 28 |
| 12 | E. Ocon | Alpine Renault | 1:35.221 | +1.396s | 26 |
| 13 | L. Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:35.251 | +1.426s | 27 |
| 14 | F. Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes | 1:35.440 | +1.615s | 25 |
| 15 | L. Lawson | RB Honda RBPT | 1:35.671 | +1.846s | 24 |
| 16 | Z. Guanyu | Kick Sauber Ferrari | 1:35.765 | +1.940s | 28 |
| 17 | M. Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:35.834 | +2.009s | 25 |
| 18 | F. Colapinto | Williams Mercedes | 1:35.868 | +2.043s | 30 |
| 19 | S. Perez | Red Bull Racing Honda RBPT | 1:36.055 | +2.230s | 25 |
| 20 | A. Albon | Williams Mercedes | 1:39.629 | +5.804s | 4 |
