P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Alpine could have been vying with Mercedes for third in the 2023 Formula 1 pecking order rather than being sixth-best. And the big problem behind that underperformance won’t change for another two seasons
In 2023, the Alpine Formula 1 team faced significant managerial upheaval due to a mismatch between corporate expectations and on-track performance. The team saw changes in its CEO, team principal, and sporting director throughout the year. Despite these changes, Alpine struggled with a fundamental problem that couldn’t be quickly addressed through senior management restructuring.
The team’s sixth-place finish in the constructors’ championship reflected the performance of their A523 car, which was about 0.9 seconds slower than the top cars. This performance gap was exacerbated by a power deficiency that was not rectified due to the denial of a request to modify the power unit. This deficiency was estimated to cost Alpine performance for the next two seasons.
Alpine’s stand-in boss acknowledged that the main deficit was in the energy recovery system, and the power unit deficit accounted for around 0.5 seconds of laptime. Had this deficit been addressed, Alpine could have been vying with Mercedes for the third-fastest qualifying car.
The team’s technical director explained that the limitations of the 2023 chassis included poor ride and balance, which affected aero efficiency and cornering stability. The team made some progress in addressing these issues with low-speed traction and stability.
Overall, Alpine faced challenges with both the car and power unit, and it was crucial to consider them as interconnected elements instead of separate problems.
