As the battle for the Manufacturers' standings heats up, Alpine is struggling to keep pace with its rivals.
Qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix confirmed a worrying trend for Alpine. Esteban Ocon set the 20th time and will start from the last position on the starting grid this Sunday.
Pierre Gasly, slightly better off, failed at the gates of Q3 and will start in 11th position. Results which contrast with the sparkling performances of the two drivers in Brazil, where they scored a double podium.
Ocon: a grid background and questions
The Qatari weekend seems particularly difficult for Esteban Ocon. After setting the final time in qualifying, the Frenchman did not hide his concerns about the competitiveness of his team.
“I did a good lap, without errors, clean from start to finishhe confided at the end of the qualifications. But we are seriously lacking in performance. In previous sessions over the past weekends, we were five or seven tenths behind. Today, it’s more like seven-tenths to a second.”
This persistent lack of rhythm adds to unconvincing long and short stints. Ocon, who will join Haas in 2025, recognizes that the task promises to be difficult for Alpine: “At the moment we are not in a position to score points. I was able to gain a few places at the start in the Sprint, but I ended up falling back. We definitely need to remedy this, but the road seems long .”
Gasly out of the top 10, a worrying dynamic
For his part, Pierre Gasly posted a better performance than Ocon, but without making it into the top 10. By narrowly missing Q3, the Normand will start 11th, a position which reflects Alpine's general loss of speed. . These results, far from expectations, contrast with the double podium obtained in Brazil.
An end to the season running out of steam for Alpine
As the battle for the manufacturers' standings heats up, Alpine is struggling to keep pace with its rivals. The performances in Qatar underline a worrying stagnation for the French team, which will have to quickly find solutions to reverse the trend. At this point, a points race seems a monumental challenge for Ocon and Gasly.
