Formula 1 | Alpine, Ocon and Gasly "stripped" at Suzuka

Il Japanese Grand Prix it was a real disaster for theAlpine. The Anglo/French team is in its fourth consecutive race without points, and despite the update brought to Suzuki, performance fell well short of expectations. Or with e gasly they arrived at the finish line in fifteenth and sixteenth position respectively, and on the main straight, the real overtaking point on the Japanese track, they were "stripped" by practically everyone in every lap of the race. A desolation for a team with very different ambitions.

“It wasn't an easy race today – Ocon said. I took some damage early on, after which we tried different strategic options to give ourselves a chance. But, in the end, we weren't fast enough to compete with those around us. It was a shame to get damaged, but I don't think it made a big difference to the overall picture of the race. We struggled with pace compared to qualifying, so there is a lot to review and hopefully we can come back stronger at the next race in Shanghai.”

“Unfortunately it was a long afternoon for us in Suzuka – Gasly admitted. There are some positives, including two very strong standing starts. In the second one, after the red flag, I overtook the Haas, then Esteban and then I joined Yuki. At that point, I found myself trapped in an unfortunate racing accident. I had significant damage to the floor, losing around 30 points of downforce, and therefore to the lap time. From then on it was a very difficult race, there wasn't much I could do other than push as hard as possible. It's not where we want to be, but it's good to have brought the first updates to the car this weekend. We need to continue to develop the concept of the car, continue to bring parts as soon as possible when we need them to improve our current position."