Connect with us

News

“No point in racing” if Alpine doesn’t believe it can replicate Aston F1

Published

on


Aston Martin has been the surprise combination for the opening three races of 2023, with Fernando Alonso claiming three consecutive podiums in a vastly improved car after the team struggled in 2022.

While Silverstone’s improvement is a blow to all other lower-placed sides, it also shows them that it is still possible to make huge leaps from one season to the next within the confines of the budget cap.

“We have to think it’s possible, otherwise there’s no point in racing,” Ocon said when asked if the Alpine could replicate Aston Martin’s progress.

“If you think about it, we finished the season in December and when we restarted it was late February, early March. So it was about three or four months.

“I don’t know if Aston will be able to do that in the middle of the season, but if you take three or four months, it’s not the end of the season.

“Aston Martin has shown them that it’s fair play and that if you find the right thing, it’s possible to take a big step forward. It’s doable.”

Esteban Ocon, Alpine

Esteban Ocon, Alpine

Photography: Alpine

Ocon has been encouraged by Alpine’s development plans, which see the Enstone team bring substantial updates to their next race in Baku at the end of April.

“I’m at the factory at least one or two days a week,” O’Connell said.

“I’ve been in the aeronautics department, I’ve seen drawings of the future, I’ve seen future concepts for cars, what are we going to bring to the car. And some really interesting ideas.

“I’m looking forward to seeing them produced and seeing them in cars.”

Alpine, usually the fifth-fastest team so far, missed out on adding to its account in Melbourne, with a late collision between Ocon and team-mate Pierre Gasly leaving neither driver scoring points.

While the team’s A523 challenger doesn’t have any major weaknesses, Ocon said addressing “a lot of the details” will yield respectable performance.

“It’s a lot of details. It’s never the same thing, that’s what’s difficult. A compromise somewhere can cost you a little bit of performance elsewhere.

“And we cannot compromise at this time because of where we are.”

News

Verstappen survives treacherous conditions to win the Monaco Grand Prix

Published

on

By




Max Verstappen won the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix and now has more Grand Prix victories for Red Bull than Sebastian Vettel. The Dutchman’s brilliant final stage in qualifying saw him take pole position, but his superlong performance on the medium tyres, which was almost as impressive, gave him an easy win.

Continue Reading

News

Rain during Monaco GP: plenty of chaos and incidents

Published

on

By




It didn’t seem to come, but after 50 of the 78 laps of the Monaco Grand Prix, it did: it started to rain. After a few laps, the rain started to fall heavily, and the slick tires could no longer continue driving. Drivers were skidding around corners everywhere, but miraculously, most managed to keep their cars clear of the crash barrier or keep going.

Continue Reading

News

Newgarden beats Ericsson to Indy 500 win after restart with one lap to go

Published

on

By




Josef Newgarden wins the Indy 500 in an intense final stage. There was a red flag, but the race restarted with one lap to go. Newgarden jumped at the chance and outmaneuvered Marcus Ericsson for the win, while Rinus Veekay crossed the finish line in tenth.

Continue Reading

news