One of the most hot difference below the closing extension of the Formula 1 2024 season? That was the Alps. After a slow start a year ago, the ENSTONE -based operation operated the ranking in the closing weeks, climbing from the back of the network to occupy the sixth place in the 2024 Facility Championship race.
However, this strong end has not yet been over to the 2025 campaign. With the network reaching Japan in the Japanese Grand Prix race this week, Alpine is the only team that did not score this season.
However, veteran driver Pierre Jasli says it, and the team, remain “confident” despite the early results.
“No, frankly, I think it is a very narrow field,” Gazley said at the FIA press conference on Thursday. “[W]Ithin two tenths can be transmitted from the top of it to the bottom. Objectively, we had a very strong Bahrain test. Melbourne, Q3, fighting for points – very difficult conditions, safety cars have not played in our hands. China felt that we did not extract everything from the package.
“However, still ranked 11th, which could have been P9, but unfortunately with no little power in the car, we didn’t score points. So I think frankly that we are confident,” Ghazali added. “It is only two races. We know what to do. We have to focus on ourselves and work and implement a strong weekend and we will be in this mixture. It will be very narrow throughout the season and we will have to achieve the best in every weekend.”
As Ghazly indicated, he finished in the P11 in the Chinese Grand Prix, and it could have been promoted in the following points that were delivered to Luis Hamilton and Charles Licork, had it not been for excluding on his own after his car was in weight loss.
In the aftermath of the Chinese Grand Prix, the team gave a long look at their rival for 2025 as well as how they performed this season, looking forward, and believed they have a performance from the A525 to fight at the front of the network.
“I think China objectively, as one team, we have a little weak. After the weekend, we realized that there are some things that we had done differently after it was too late,” said Ghazly. “That’s why I am still confident. We have a good package, we have the performance to fight in the first ten places. It is really related … We are still in an early stage of the season, we are still getting to know the car and how to extract everything from it. So it is good that we have three races in different paths and I am excited to go.”
Gazley also stated that the A525 is a step forward from their competitor 2024, however, he admitted that the entire network had taken a step forward compared to a season.
“It is a step forward,” Gazley said when asked about the competitor of this season. “Now, everyone took a step forward. If you look at the entire network, it is very tight. So I think it is to refine the car to every path.
“Within twenty, you may have six or seven positions at the moment. Unfortunately, we haven’t done a good enough job in China, but we know the reasons. That is why I am completely confident that we will be in the mixture of the next three races.”
Gazley ended his comments by brushing any idea of increasing pressure on him or the team, given how strong they are for the 2024 season.
“Certainly not, because we know exactly why we didn’t get these points,” Gas started.
“It could have been completely different in Melbourne, with the last safety car we were at the points in the entire race. We were in the battle in China and there was more performance.
“No, I am sure we’ll get these points. Some other teams were a little more fortunate than us, but it is a long season. We have seen that last year – we managed to return very strongly,” he added. “I think we have a better car than we had last season and I am not very worried.” It is clear on paper, it is good to see yourself there directly from the beginning, but let’s remember that there are 24 races. “
