14/03/2023
NEWS STORY
The team heads to Saudi Arabia for the second race of the season determined for a cleaner and better executed race weekend than shown in Bahrain. Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer explains the team's reflections on the season-opener and looks ahead to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the fast and enthralling Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
How has the team debriefed on the first race of the season?
Otmar Szafnauer: We left Bahrain with mixed feelings. On one side, we were satisfied to come away with points given Pierre raced from the back of the grid to ninth place and his drive required good decisions, a well-executed strategy and strong race pace; all of which we showed. On the other side, we made too many mistakes across the weekend, and we can all do a better job to improve on those. I believe Esteban's race was a one-off, a culmination of a string of errors, some on his side, some operationally, and his side of the garage will undoubtedly bounce back in Saudi Arabia. Right now, we know the A523 has potential. We just have not exploited everything to the maximum yet and there's work ahead of us to achieve that. It's a long season, we've opened up with points and we must keep pushing as a team.
What areas does the team need to improve?
OS: It's important that we remember that we are one race into the season and we have 22 to go. We've only been to one circuit with the car in full capacity so there's much more to come and much more to learn and develop. Our race pace looks better than single-lap pace, so we know low fuel is a key area for us to improve. Esteban did a good job to reach Q3, while Pierre has more to learn to get the tyres into the right window to maximise everything over one lap. We will stick together and work hard as a team to drive ourselves further up the grid.
What are your thoughts of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit?
OS: The Jeddah Corniche Circuit is certainly exciting for the drivers. It's fast, little time to rest, unforgiving in places and probably the most thrilling street circuit on the calendar. It's mainly medium to high-speed and a completely different challenge to Bahrain, so it will be interesting to see the cars on a different circuit and seeing where we stand. There have been some changes to Jeddah this year to improve visibility for drivers on track, so it will be important to understand the drivers' feedback on those changes.
What would constitute a good weekend for the team in Saudi Arabia?
OS: I'd like to see a smooth weekend from the team with no operational errors and to have both cars well inside the points. It will be interesting to see the competitive order on a completely different track to what we've seen so far, and I firmly believe there's much more to come from us. The team is determined for a much better race in Jeddah and it's great to see everyone's motivation to deliver an improved performance.
Things did not go to plan for Esteban Ocon in Bahrain. After a strong Saturday showing by reaching Q3 in impressive style, the Frenchman left empty-handed from the race. Esteban sees Saudi Arabia as a fresh start to open his 2023 points-scoring account.
It was not the start to the season we wanted in Bahrain, what do you make of the team's first race of the year?
Esteban Ocon: It was probably the worst race of my Formula 1 career to date, given how everything played out on Sunday. Unfortunately, it was compromised from the start with the starting grid infringement and from there everything went downhill. What is most important is we learn from our mistakes and make sure they are not repeated. The team and I will move on together and that's why we are looking forward to Jeddah. Pierre did a great job in the race, starting from the back of the grid to score his first points. I take many positives from that as it shows the car has potential to come through the field, which shows we have good pace. We just have to unlock that to its maximum - on both Saturday and Sunday - and I see this weekend as an opportunity to bounce back and I look forward to it.
What positives can you take going into the second race of the season?
EO: There are many positives we can all draw from. On my side, it was good to start the year by reaching Q3 in Qualifying. I think there's more to come on low fuel too, so let's see what we can achieve this Saturday. As I mentioned, our race pace was strong, and we had the performance to have both cars inside the points. That will be the goal in Jeddah, a track I enjoy and where we have done well in the past, including a near-podium in 2021. We'll be aiming for a smooth weekend with both cars, and we aim to leave Saudi Arabia with a result we can be proud of and know we deserve.
What is it about the Jeddah Corniche Circuit that you enjoy?
EO: Jeddah is a very unique circuit in Formula 1. It is a very fast and flowing street circuit and most of the lap is taken at full throttle, which is very exciting. There are some changes to the circuit this year to improve safety and visibility on corner entry, so we'll definitely be offering some feedback on the changes on Friday after Practice to see how effective they are. In terms of the racing in Jeddah, we know overtaking is possible, the chance of safety cars are high given the nature of the track, so we have to remain ready for all possibilities. The whole team is ready and motivated for a better weekend to kickstart our season.
Pierre Gasly scored two points on his Alpine debut, after rising from the back of the grid to ninth place in Bahrain. A disappointing Saturday Qualifying means Pierre is fired up for a better performance in Saudi Arabia this weekend, where the Frenchman is determined to make it two top tens from two races in new colours.
What did you make of your team debut?
Pierre Gasly: On the whole, I was pretty pleased, especially on Sunday to go from last to ninth and take home some points. I know there's so much more to come from myself and from the team as we have not reached 100% yet. That is why we also left Bahrain with some disappointment as not everything clicked together and it's important we piece everything together to make sure we extract the maximum performance. I enjoyed my debut in Alpine colours, the entire team is so talented and motivated to succeed and I'm excited to see what we can achieve when we execute a smoother race weekend.
How did you recover from Saturday sadness to Sunday satisfaction?
PG: I will not shy away from the fact that Saturday's Qualifying was very frustrating. I love Qualifying and I pride myself on having the ability to pull together a good lap on absolute single pace, so to be out in Q1 and at the back of the grid was disappointing. I was very proud with how we all reacted to that setback on Sunday. I always believed we could come through the field to score points as the car has been strong on high fuel. We had to work hard for it, nail a good strategy and we did just that, so that was pleasing. We must target being in Q3 as a minimum in Jeddah and put ourselves in a stronger position to score more points.
What are your thoughts ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
PG: I enjoy racing in Jeddah. It's one of the best street circuits as it's so quick with no real slow corners and it's a great challenge, physically, for us drivers. Qualifying there is usually very exciting, and I'm determined to do better than I did in Bahrain, and I see this as an opportunity for redemption on Saturday. I've scored solid points in Saudi Arabia in 2021 and 2022, so it would be good to keep that trend going this year. I had a great day at Enstone last week in preparation on the simulator and I look forward to showing our potential.