Alpine boss admits Australian GP performance a MYSTERY
Alpine boss admits Australian GP performance a MYSTERY
Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer has admitted that he's not quite sure why the team's performance improved so much in Melbourne, allowing them to run just a little behind the 'best of the rest' outside of Red Bull.
A dramatic crash between team-mates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly at a late red flag restart meant that the increase in pace didn't yield any points, but aside from baffling engineers, that speed looks positive for Baku and the rest of the season.
Szafnauer had a couple of theories as to the sudden uptick in competitiveness, but admitted that they'd have to look into what they'd done right in the long gap between the Australian and Azerbaijani Grands Prix.
"We have to investigate that because the car hasn't changed much compared to the last race," he said. "Maybe we got the setup perfect or made progress with energy management."
Picking up the pieces
The 58-year-old did admit that the team's time will be split over the coming weeks leading up to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix though, with the crash between Ocon and Gasly leaving them scrabbling around to build new parts to replace the shards of carbon fibre that the pair turned each other's key components into.
"It's still not a problem for the cost cap, even if the accident is expensive for us," admitted Szafnauer. "But the accident has shifted priorities. For Baku, we need spare parts first.
"Things like a front wing aren't something you can easily rebuild in two weeks. We still have to see if that has an impact on whether we can complete our development package can bring."
"Both of them apologised for the accident, he added. "That shows me that both of them felt guilty. That's why we rate it as a normal racing accident."
READ MORE: F1 Team Principals: Who are the men in charge in 2023?
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Incredible Verstappen exit clause reignites F1 rival talks as Mercedes milestone reveals shock RED livery
- 19 minutes ago
Horner outlines Ricciardo target to save F1 dream as major Newey announcement made - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo makes five-race admission in bid to survive F1 axe
- Yesterday 21:57
Red Bull is 'burning' after Horner and Marko display
- Yesterday 20:57
Red Bull announce strong statement over Newey departure claims
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
F1 boss delivers team SALE verdict with new targets set
F1 pundit slams 'EMBARRASSING' team and predicts driver exodus
F1 team announce shock RESIGNATION of two key figures
F1 team boss issues BRUTAL put down for star driver
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860