By doubting, one is led to questions. By questioning, one arrives at the truth. Pierre Gasly revealed Alpine’s difficult reality at a recent press conference. As the Frenchman explains how the Alpine is stuck in “No man’s land”, we comprehend the fading hopes of the glory for the Alpine promised before the season started.

Alpine finished 4th in the constructors last year and was hoping to build onto that coming towards this season. The results suggest that Alpine is in the same position as last year, if not maybe a little worse. Pierre Gasly finished P9 in both races, whereas Esteban Ocon retired in Bahrain and finished P8 at Jeddah. While Gasly’s P19 to P9 was impressive in Bahrain, the Alpine still lack the pace to challenge for bigger points.

At the end of the Saudi Arabian GP, Pierre Gasly finished 10 seconds ahead of Magnussen, whereas Ocon finished around 10 seconds behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. This indicates the fact that the Alpine is faster than the midfield runners, but nowhere near the pace of the Top 4. Gasly recently explained the fact that the French team is still trying to close the gap to the front runners.

During the FIA press conference before the Australian GP, Pierre Gasly said “I would not say I’m pleased because obviously, we want to fight higher up the grid and felt like so far we’ve been in a no man’s land behind the top 4 teams, higher a bit of that midfield behind us even though it’s really close. But still, we’re chasing and trying to get closer to that front runners.” Further adding, “But generally I think it’s been an okay start, a decent start. But as a team, we want to be fighting for bigger points”

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With Alpine and the Frenchmen looking to challenge for bigger points, the team needs to find the pace of making use of the data collected so far. With the Australian GP around the corner, Esteban Ocon reveals what’s important to the setup of the car at Albert Park.

What does Esteban Ocon expect for the A523s setup at Albert Park?

Albert park is quite a bumpy track as it consists of a lot of public roads. The track has a lot of medium-speed corners with a lot of changes of direction at low and high speeds. It’s a technically and physically challenging track for the drivers. However, the drivers always look forward to coming to Melbourne. Esteban Ocon wants the A523s set up to be stable under braking, able to ride the curbs, and willing to change directions.

According to pitpass.com, Esteban Ocon said, “It’s still a challenging track, both technically and physically, with a lot of changes of direction at low and high speeds. We know braking stability, kerb riding and car agility will be important to the set-up of the cars.”

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Do you think Alpine will be able to challenge the Top 4 in the coming races?