The French team has been overtaken by Racing Bulls in the constructors' championship after their rivals introduced a more recent upgrade package. "We are in a development war with them" said Nielsen.
Alpine has lost fifth position in the constructors' championship after being overtaken by Racing Bulls at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The French team has entered a "development war" with their Faenza rivals. Steve Nielsen, Alpine's sporting director, acknowledged that the team cannot relax at any moment and that the midfield fight is tighter than ever: "We did a good job in the first seven races, we had luck on some occasions but we were always there or close to the points zone" explained Nielsen.
Alpine was the reference team in the midfield during the first half of the season, with Pierre Gasly scoring points in six of the first seven races and the team maintaining a healthy advantage over the rest. However, the trend has not been maintained and Racing Bulls has taken a step forward with a more recent upgrade package than Alpine's: "We are in a development war with them, with Racing Bulls and I still hear stories that some of the other teams like Aston Martin or Williams are also bringing big upgrades, so we'll see" added Nielsen.
Alpine's last major update came in Miami, while Racing Bulls has continued to develop its car more frequently. The French team has lost ground in recent races, and the drivers are not happy with the A526's performance: "It feels bad, I really can't drive as I would like, the car doesn't respond well, and there's a lot of work ahead," declared Pierre Gasly after the race in Hungary.
Franco Colapinto also expressed his frustration: "It was quite frustrating, I had no pace, first of all, the balance was very poor. I don't really know what happened, I think we need to analyze it and understand a bit more because it felt very far from the pace and I'm struggling a lot with the car. We need to analyze it well and come back stronger" said the Argentine.
Alpine has been overtaken by Racing Bulls, who now have a five point lead in the constructors' championship. The French team has a 40 point cushion over Haas but needs to recover lost ground if it wants to return to fifth position. The arrival of upgrades to Aston Martin and Williams could also complicate the midfield fight in the second half of the season.
The "development war" will intensify in the upcoming races with all teams seeking any advantage they can get. Alpine needs to find performance in the A526 if it wants to be the midfield reference team again. Pierre Gasly, Franco Colapinto and the technical team will work during the summer break to analyze the problems and prepare the necessary upgrades for the second half of the season.
The midfield battle is tighter than ever and Alpine will have to take a step forward if it wants to keep its chances of finishing fifth in the constructors' championship. The French team has shown it can be competitive but needs to find the consistency that has eluded it in recent races.
