Alpine’s team continues to struggle, languishing at the bottom of the championship standings. After four races, there seems to be no improvement in sight. Driver Pierre Gasly expressed his frustration during the free practice in China. His A524 was plagued with issues, preventing him from getting much driving time. This was enough for Gasly to criticize his team openly.
Due to issues with his energy recovery system, Pierre Gasly could hardly make any progress on Friday morning. This is yet another embarrassment for Alpine, who have completely missed the mark this season. It’s a disappointment for a talented driver like Gasly, who joined the French racing team in 2023 with high expectations. Over the radio, he didn’t mince his words.
“Guys, this is not acceptable,” he ranted. “I haven’t learned anything. Absolutely nothing!” This is not ideal when you only have one practice session. The GP in China is all about the sprint race, so after the free practice, Pierre Gasly had to immediately prepare for the sprint qualification. Race engineer John Howard tried to calm him down. “Sorry about that. We need to look at these issues and try to be ready for the sprint shootout.”
But it was to no avail. Gasly was already out in SQ1, he will start Saturday from the sixteenth place. Yet another disappointing result for the former Red Bull driver, who once steered his AlphaTauri to first place in the GP of Italy. Perhaps the 28-year-old Frenchman will try his luck elsewhere next year, his current contract with Alpine runs until the end of 2024.
