F1 News: Pierre Gasly Warns Alpine After A Series Of Setbacks - 'Very Disappointed'

Saajan Jogia | Aug 1, 2024

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; BWT Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly of France (10) during the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Alpine driver Pierre Gasly has expressed disappointment after enduring a series of technical setbacks in the recent Grands Prix. The French driver warned his team about not being in the position where it was supposed to be, despite having the potential to do better.

With the Enstone outfit resting in P8 with 11 points in the Constructors' Championship, Gasly's recent races have been nothing short of a disaster, considering that he was unable to race during the British Grand Prix due to a problem with the gearbox, followed by a DNF during the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Last weekend's race at Spa-Francorchamps saw him endure challenges with his A524 F1 car's engine, followed by steering problems and a drop in pace, which forced him to cancel the strategy planned for the race. In the end, he finished the race in the thirteenth position after George Russell's disqualification. Describing the problem to the media, Gasly said:

“Very not happy, very not happy.

“We had an engine problem the whole afternoon, losing seven tenths down the straights every lap, engine temperature issue, steering isn’t straight the whole race, we missed the right strategy… We just do too many mistakes.

“The last three weekends have been absolutely frustrating.

“We are not on top of what we should be, basically, and I know the guys can do a lot better than that. It’s been a tough start of the year, then we scored roughly 10 points as a team.

“I want us to do a lot better than that, so I think it’s important we regroup together and we make sure the second part of the year is better.”

Alpine has been going through a series of managerial changes for more than a year now. Recently, Flavio Briatore was announced as the team's executive advisor, followed by the departure of team principal Bruno Famin, who will be replaced by Oliver Oakes after the summer break.

Last year, around the same time, Alpine ousted its then-team principal Otmar Szafnauer, sporting director Alan Permane, chief technical officer Pat Fry, and CEO Laurent Rossi. Inconsistent leadership can raise several questions for a driver, especially when an engine supplier team like Alpine considers becoming a customer team after abandoning its 2026 power unit development.

Famin's statements about the current power unit challenges and differences in cost suggest that parent company Renault could opt for the easier and cheaper option of becoming a customer team, when Formula 1 enters the new era of regulations in about 18 months. Gasly made it clear to the team that it needed to sit down after the summer break, reflect, and act on the improvements. He added:

“I think right now it’s important we sit down and we look at ourselves objectively and what we’ve got to improve, and make clear actions on that.

“Very disappointed with today because there was definitely better to do."