Alpine team boss, Oliver Oakes, explains how his team has been out of sync with other Formula 1 teams throughout the year. The French team was late in bringing the first upgrades, but this could turn out to be an advantage for Alpine in the final races of the season. Oakes hopes that this will allow his team to perform slightly better.
Alpine had a rough start to the current season, finishing the first few races at the back of the grid. However, things started to look up from the Grand Prix in Miami, where Esteban Ocon scored the first World Championship point for the French team. The team’s drivers even managed to score points in four consecutive races, from the Grand Prix in Monaco to the Grand Prix in Austria.
The team ended up empty-handed after the last three races, but team boss Oakes warns that Alpine could make progress in the final six races. “We know that there will be some performance improvements between now and the end of the year,” Oakes told Autosport. “After Spa and Zandvoort, you just want to survive. This series of races was a kind of rowing with the oars we had.”
Out of Sync
Oakes explains how Alpine was later than its direct competitors in bringing upgrades at the beginning of the season. This could give the French team an advantage towards the end of the season.
“I think we’re not completely in sync (regarding development). We were late with what we brought at the beginning of the season and then you’re not completely aligned,” explains the team boss. “I hope that we can at least show between now and the end of the year that we can still perform.”
Ocon’s Departure
Esteban Ocon will be leaving Alpine for Haas at the end of the season, to be replaced by reserve driver Jack Doohan. According to Oakes, the upcoming departure of the Frenchman does not affect the team’s motivation. “Of course they get frustrated, just like me,” reasons the Brit. “You don’t want to drive around on Sunday without something to fight for.”
