Alpine's Monaco struggles: Gasly admits car isn't responding well

Alpine’s Monaco woes: Gasly admits car isn’t responding well

Following an encouraging Canadian Grand Prix, Alpine has struggled to find its expected rhythm on the streets of Monaco. Pierre Gasly has expressed disappointment, highlighting a lack of performance compared to expectations and the team’s recent form.

Monaco presents an unexpected challenge for Alpine

The Principality of Monaco, a legendary venue for the Formula 1 circus, delivered a mixed opening day for the Alpine team. While the Canadian Grand Prix had offered a breath of fresh air with a double points finish, including a strong showing from Franco Colapinto, the Anglo-French cars appeared to regain some fragility on the Monaco street circuit. Free Practice 2, the most revealing session, saw no A526s feature in the top 10, a finding that dampened hopes of a swift confirmation of their improved form.

Gasly’s assessment of a difficult day

Speaking to Canal+ after the session, Pierre Gasly didn’t hide his disappointment. “It’s been a slightly more complicated day than we thought,” he admitted, highlighting the engineers’ efforts to try and set up the car. “We’ve tested quite a few things since FP1, but yes, there’s going to be a lot of work tonight.” The French driver then qualified the idea that the current generation of F1 cars might spoil the fun of driving in Monaco, recalling that the leaders seem to be enjoying themselves there. For Alpine, however, the feeling is different: “For us, at the moment, it’s quite difficult in the car and it’s not responding particularly, particularly well to the track right now.”

Alpine's Monaco struggles: Gasly admits car isn't responding well

Franco Colapinto (Alpine)

A gap to recent performances

Gasly’s comments highlight a notable discrepancy between the performance glimpsed in Canada and the reality in Monaco. “It’s not a world away, but we see that the Audi cars are very competitive and we’re perhaps not as good as in the last few weekends,” the driver observed. This comparison with the Audi team, which placed both its cars in the top 10 of FP2, underscores the challenge Alpine faces. Monaco’s narrow asphalt and unforgiving walls leave no room for error, and the slightest setup difficulty is paid for dearly in lap times.

Colapinto: Mixed feelings but avenues for improvement

Fifteenth in the session, Franco Colapinto also shared the general sentiment, despite a brush with the barriers at Sainte-Dévote that served as a reminder of the difficulty of the task. “My feeling was okay, but I think there’s still a lot to improve and work on,” explained the Argentine. He specifically mentioned difficulties with the brakes in certain areas. Nevertheless, Colapinto approaches the situation with a constructive perspective, typical of the progress expected between Friday and Saturday. “There are points to sort out for tomorrow, but I think it’s generally the kind of progress we make between Friday and Saturday; so we need to push to understand the car better, dig deeper into some things and try to come back stronger tomorrow.”

Monaco: The ultimate F1 test

The Monaco Grand Prix is often considered the ultimate test for Formula 1 teams. Its unique layout, demanding surgical precision and absolute confidence from the drivers, quickly reveals a car’s strengths and weaknesses. For Alpine, this opening day confirms that the road to consistency is still long. While the progress made recently is real, applying it across all types of circuits, and particularly on that of the Principality, remains a major challenge. The upcoming sessions will be crucial to determine if the team can turn the tide and fight for points.

Key takeaways from the Monaco session:

Alpine’s improved form seen in Canada is struggling to translate to the Monaco street circuit.
Pierre Gasly expressed disappointment with the car’s pace, deeming it less competitive than hoped.
Franco Colapinto echoed this assessment, while identifying areas for improvement, particularly with braking.
Competitors, such as Audi, appear to be adapting better to the specific demands of the Monaco track.
Alpine’s challenge now is to understand and resolve issues to regain more consistent performance.

[Leclerc]

[Hamilton]