Alpine

Alpine boss reveals COSTLY issue ahead of Baku

Sam Hall Monday 17 April 2023 21:17

Team principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed Alpine is battling to have enough parts ready for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon collided following a late-red flag restart at the Australian Grand Prix, with both drivers retiring as a result of significant damage sustained.

While the pair have apologised for the contact and moved on, Alpine faces a race against time to simultaneously build a parts store and manufacture upgrades ahead of the Baku weekend.

Asked how tough it will be to be ready in time for Azerbaijan, Szafnauer said: "From getting parts ready for the next race, I don’t know yet. It’s a little bit too early to tell.

“But we will pull out all of the stops to get ample spares to the next race and the upgrade we have coming.”

Budget cap bite

An added concern for teams with any form of damage is the strict budget cap, with repairs eating into the funds available for upgrades or other planned expenditures.

On this account, however, Szafnauer expects Alpine to be fine.

“From a budget cap perspective, I think we are going to be ok, so I don’t think there are any concerns," he added.

“It will be costly, so from a money perspective, it probably would have been a lot less costly had it not happened."

Latest News

F1 News & Gossip

Max Verstappen risks additional FIA punishment after Canadian GP outburst

37 minutes ago

Canadian Grand Prix

FIA issue additional penalty for Red Bull F1 star at Canadian Grand Prix

1 hour ago

F1 Today

F1 News Today: Red Bull star handed major FIA penalty as disqualification statement issued at Canadian GP

1 hour ago

Canadian Grand Prix

F1 Race Today: Canadian Grand Prix 2025 start time, TV channel and FREE live stream

2 hours ago

Canadian Grand Prix

Sauber issue official statement after driver disqualified at Canadian GP

2 hours ago

Canadian Grand Prix

FIA issue DOUBLE punishment for Mercedes F1 star George Russell after Canadian Grand Prix error

3 hours ago

More news

FIA announce Charles Leclerc disqualification verdict ahead of Canadian Grand Prix

12 june

250.000+ views

FIA announce Lewis Hamilton penalty verdict after Spanish Grand Prix investigation

1 june

200.000+ views

Aston Martin F1 team issue official statement after Fernando Alonso retirement

27 may

200.000+ views

FIA announce second penalty demotion after dramatic Spanish Grand Prix

2 june

150.000+ views

F1 champion loses his driving licence

4 june

100.000+ views

Red Bull plans confirmed for Max Verstappen ban as Daniel Ricciardo verdict delivered

6 june

F1 News 24/7

Races

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 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860

CHOOSE YOUR COUNTRY