Gasly and Ocon fume as Alpine's A524 continues to disappoint in ongoing Formula 1 season

What could be the biggest heartbreak for any F1 team than Alpine’s 2024 F1 season journey with A524? A car that was curated to make things exciting has purely backfired the team and its drivers. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon currently find themselves grappling with the least competitive car on the Formula 1 grid, as Alpine's ambitious new concept has hit major roadblocks.

After finishing sixth in 2023, Alpine decided to make a major revamp in their car for the 2024 season. However, things took a dramatic turn as their much-awaited A524 car failed to get a single point in the first four rounds. Alpine's bold design has proven to be a misstep, leading to issues like excess weight and a lack of power.

Gasly recognizes the enormity of the challenge ahead, suggesting that a significant breakthrough is needed to salvage their season. He also described their current state as being in the "second league" of competitiveness. While speaking to the media he said, "I think in the mid-term we need a big thing to improve this car now, this sort of car concept doesn't live up to what we expected.”

“But in the meantime, everything we can chip away, every single weekend will get us closer to potentially finishing at some point. At the moment we're clearly at the back of that sort of like second league, every every single tenth we can get as soon as possible will make a difference."

‘It has faults everywhere’, says Esteban Ocon

In a similar vein, Esteban Ocon echoes Gasly's sentiments, highlighting the myriad issues plaguing the A524. Despite Ocon's comparatively stronger performances, he admits that the car is deficient in multiple areas.

He vocally called it a failure ‘everywhere.’ He had said, "I think it's a little bit everywhere, to be honest. At the moment, there's a lot of big details which we are struggling in, and I don't think they are like super weaknesses or super good points.”

"I think it's quite average everywhere, I would say, and that's where we need to keep on digging and keep on pushing for sure”, he further added. With China set to host the fifth round of the season next week in Shanghai Gasly and Ocon would expect a better show from the already ‘dead’ car. The team will also be keen to score some points as they are yet to open the account.