BWT Alpine F1 Team secured points with both cars in the 2023 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix as Esteban Ocon finished ninth and Pierre Gasly tenth at Suzuka.
With the ninth and tenth place results firmly wrapped up in the latter stages of the race, the team aimed to chase the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso in eighth place, swapping positions between Esteban and Pierre to give the latter, on fresh tyres, the opportunity to gain for the benefit of the team. While Pierre got close to closing Fernando, ultimately, he ran out of laps, and the duo swapped places back, with Esteban finishing ninth and Pierre tenth at the chequered flag.
Next up for the team is the Qatar Grand Prix at the Losail International Circuit in October.
Esteban Ocon:
First, it is great to have both cars back in the points. I think the team did well to optimise a challenging strategy today, and we performed well, in general, on track. We had a tricky start with the racing incident on lap one, which could have easily put an end to our race, but we recovered well, managed the tyres, had some good pit stops, and ended our day with some points. It was good teamwork in an attempt to grab more points as a team, and, in the end, we probably maximised what we had today. We have many things to learn and discuss and aim to return stronger in Qatar in two weeks.
Pierre Gasly:
Firstly, we’ve made back-to-back points from the doubleheader after going from twelfth on the grid into the points. From my side, I felt it was a very positive race with strong stints on both the Medium and Hard tyres to put ourselves into points-scoring contention. We seemed competitive and closely matched with Fernando [Alonso] ahead, and closing him down might have been possible. We have some things to review as a team to see what we can do better next time. Ultimately, it’s a double-point finish for the team, and that’s the most important thing.
Bruno Famin, Interim Team Principal:
It’s been a positive Sunday effort from the team today with both cars in the points, and it was good to put behind a slightly out-of-position Qualifying. It was an exciting race for strategy with many different plans across the field. Towards the end of the race, we looked to capitalise on our tyre advantage and pace from Pierre by targeting eighth place. The opportunity was close, and we decided to swap positions on track to maximise the team result by giving Pierre the chance to chase eighth place. Ultimately, we ran out of laps and paces and decided to swap the drivers back. Making these calls is never easy. However, all decisions are taken with the team’s best interest first and foremost. It’s been a busy two weeks – points on the board and certainly encouraging signs across two different circuits and conditions – so credit the entire team for delivering upgrades and slick execution towards these results. We all need to keep pushing for more.
Alpine F1 Team best pictures:
