Alpine anticipate a difficult start to 2024, with the A524 machine requiring significant improvement in all areas. This was largely anticipated even before the team’s official launch event but was confirmed unequivocally in testing.
Only two years ago, the French outfit began the current regulations with a reasonable foundation. Even with persistent reliability issues, they finished P4 relatively comfortably in the standings – positioning themselves as ‘best of the rest’.
Moreover, senior personnel like Laurent Rossi insisted that Renault’s engine would improve over time. This, in theory, would allow Team Enstone to disrupt the established front-runners in 2023.
What happened instead was a steady regression, at least in relative terms. Aston Martin and then McLaren rapidly out-developed them, with Bahrain testing last week confirming their status as regular podium contenders.
At Enstone, meanwhile, they are working with a relatively basic foundation ahead of the new campaign. Even a basic glance shows the Alpine A524 is very unadventurous from an aerodynamic perspective, especially compared to others across the field.
Whilst a more dramatic design does not always generate performance, the lap times suggest the team is not in a good place. Moreover, Bruno Famin’s personnel still has a car that is overweight – even in year three of these regulations.
The newly appointed full-time team principal, however, is hopeful that mid-season development will be the A524’s saving grace:
“Now is the time to work through the data and concentrate on optimising the package we have in our hands ahead of next week’s first Grand Prix.
“We know where we stand. We are expecting a challenging start to the year as we continue to learn more and more about our A524 to develop it across the season.”
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon echoed similar sentiments throughout testing, dismissing the importance of the team’s starting point in 2024.
They instead placed huge importance on understanding the car’s characteristics and introducing updates later in the campaign.
Whilst not an entirely doomed strategy, it seems clear they will not fight for major honours for the foreseeable future. Most likely, they will be resigned to scrapping in a midfield pack that continues to expose the manufacturer’s limitations.
Author: Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
