F1 team send 'steering wheel' warning over new car

Blank Car Livery Launch, Social — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team send 'steering wheel' warning over new car

Dramatic changes are on the way for the team

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Monday 12 February 2024 20:57

Key figures at Alpine have admitted that their 2024 car will be completely different to last season's edition, 'from front to back'.

The Anglo-French team struggled for much of 2023, finding themselves in limbo between the true backmarkers and the teams challenging for podiums.

Alpine's hope is that their 2024 car can bring them closer to the top five teams in the constructors' championship following a 2023 season hampered by poor power unit performance and a variety of inconsistencies.

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As such, the team were only able to claim two podiums throughout the season and finished well clear of seventh-placed Williams in the standings but a long way behind fifth-placed Aston Martin, who claimed eight podiums in the season.

Esteban Ocon has provided a rather pessimistic start to the Enstone-based team's season, by revealing to Sky Sports commentator David Croft that the new car was already looking 'slow'.

Pierre Gasly is desperate for his new team to kick on having left AlphaTauri

Alpine have suffered two seasons of relatively poor performance since new regulations entered the sport

Alpine's dramatic changes

"We decided to take a very bold approach, it's a brand new car from front to back," technical director Matt Harman said during the car launch presentation.

"I think only the steering wheel survived.

"We've really tried to look at every single area of the car to make sure that we leave no stone unturned, and we give ourselves a car that could have potential through the year."

Recently appointed permanent team principal Bruno Famin believes that the team have a lot to improve upon heading into 2024, but that they can make gains.

"We have an idea of where we think we are compared to last year but we have no clue about where are the competitors," he said.

"The pure ICE (engine) is a bit down, we know why," he said. "The FIA made it public. But at the end of the race, it's not the engine and not the chassis that scores points but the car.

"The engine is what it is...a lot of things are frozen but we can also work on the integration, on the software, on the cooling. We are working on all of that...at the end of the story, what we need is a good car whatever the engine.

"We have to improve the engine but we have to improve the chassis, the aero, our understanding of the tyre. Everything. It's all together we need to improve."

Alpine Esteban Ocon Pierre Gasly David Croft