The French team arrives at the Dutch GP needing to take a step forward. Alpine has lost fifth place to Racing Bulls. The aerodynamic upgrades seek to solve rear instability and understeer.
Alpine faces the return of Formula 1 at the Dutch Grand Prix with the need to take a step forward. The French team has lost fifth place in the constructors' championship to Racing Bulls and hopes that a major upgrade package will allow it to recover lost ground: "It's not the reality I want to see, but there's no way to deny it" acknowledged Pierre Gasly.
The Enstone team has had a bittersweet first half of the season. Alpine made a big leap in performance and established itself as the fifth force on the grid, but failed to maintain the development pace of its rivals: "The problem is that the advantage that kept the chasing midfield group at bay has not only disappeared but Alpine has been overtaken, especially by Racing Bulls and to a lesser extent by Audi" explained the specialized media The Race.
The lack of upgrades has reduced Alpine's results. In Japan it was the fourth best performing team on track, while in Hungary it was relegated to seventh place: "In qualifying we finished 12th or 13th behind Racing Bulls and Audi, and in the race, somehow you think maybe we're going to be there and then you see them but it's just a matter of pace, we're not there" said Gasly.
The upgrade package Alpine will introduce at Zandvoort seeks to solve the A526's main problems: "An inconsistent aerodynamic balance, a very unstable rear end on corner entry, on acceleration, poor traction and mid corner understeer are the main problems Gasly has mentioned and hopes will be solved" assured The Race.
Gasly himself trusts that the upgrades will work: "I think if you introduce upgrades, you expect them to definitely improve and for my part, I don't doubt that it will meet the team's expectations because Aston Martin improved by two seconds this weekend and they also have another engine on the way. Racing Bulls improved by a second since the start of the year, Audi too, and we haven't advanced much. So yes I think it's critical for us if we want to keep hope of achieving fifth place in the championship" declared Gasly.
The restart of the season coincides with a key stage in the definition of Franco Colapinto's link with the French team. The Argentine has fulfilled what they asked of him at Enstone: he took care of the car, completed all the races and has 19 points this season. His continuity is on track and the announcement could come after the Dutch GP.
Colapinto's performance has been one of the few bright spots in the first half of the season, the Argentine has shown he can compete at the level of his experienced teammate and has been key in the points Alpine has scored. His continuity is a priority for the team, which sees him as a long term project.
Alpine needs to react at Zandvoort if it wants to keep its options in the constructors' championship: "There is no doubt that Alpine is a more competitive team than last year. Probably more than at any other time since 2022. Yes, it may seem like it's just an upgrade package but in reality there is much more at stake for Alpine at Zandvoort," concluded The Race.
