BWT Alpine Formula One Team made a shock impression in Monza. With an overturned podium days before, a pole ahead of the front runners was the last thing anyone expected. Saturday saw Pierre Gasly best the likes of Mercedes with genuine qualifying pace. Sunday, however, was a different story. Lack of pace and a single mistake for Franco Colapinto, would see both struggle to finish where they started.
Briatore Unhappy With Mclaren Following Court Ruling
Heading into the weekend it was announced that the appeal against Gasly’s podium had won. His Monaco penalties had been reinstated, which dropped him off the podium and down to seventh. The result had been an ongoing legal dispute between themselves, Red Bull, and McLaren. The Enstone based team argued that no speeding took place, due to a faulty sensor. Initially, A Right of Review decided his penalties were wrongfully given. Heading into this weekend, however, it was announced that the appeal of the right to review had won.
Flavio Briatore appeared unhappy in the team principal’s press conference between practice sessions on Friday. He hinted at impartiality in the ruling. The executive advisor brought up a judge having a “link” with McLaren. Andrea Stella, sat on the other side of the sofa, was vocal with his frustrations with this claim. The appeal also promoted championship rivals, Racing Bulls, up the finishing order. Ultimately, this also promoted them above Alpine in the constructors championship standings, with more than a 10-point swing.
Gasly Takes Stunning Maiden Pole
The highs of Alpine’s Monza weekend were on the Saturday. After looking to be at the front of the midfield in practice, the Frenchman shocked everyone by hitting the front of the grid in qualifying. A slipstream from Yuki Tsunoda, and a clean lap, meant he popped up ahead of Max Verstappen by 19 thousandths in Q1. The pace didn’t waiver as qualifying went on. The team perfectly timed exiting the pit lane last on the final runs. George Russell was too close behind Verstappen, hindering his final run. Gasly with all green sectors bested the Mercedes driver to his first F1 pole by six hundredths of a second.
The race didn’t have the same story. The Alpine driver got a great start off the line, holding the lead for the entirety of Lap 1. On the second lap, he appeared defenceless down the main straight as Russell passed him. He briefly began swapping places with Charles Leclerc but managed to hold on to P2. A red flag due to Leclerc’s crash, meant all of the field switched tyres during the stoppage. Majority of the cars then went to the end on that tyre. Both Alpines on the hard.
On the restart, Gasly held on to P2. After losing overtake mode at the end of lap seven, Verstappen got past him into the first chicane. He later lost places to Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, and the fast-charging Antonelli. It was clear he didn’t have the outright pace to battle top four teams. He then fought with a struggling Lando Norris due to his brakes. The battle for P6 between the two remained for several laps until the reigning world campion passed him for good on lap 21. The Frenchman would go on to finish seventh; a disappointing, but understandable outcome after pole the day prior.
Colapinto Appears Defeated After Race Day Mistake
Qualifying was a positive day for the team as a whole, as both Alpines made it through to Q3. Colapinto managed to stay with in touching distance of his teammate, up until the final qualifying segment. He qualified down in P8 but was promoted to seventh ahead of Sunday, due to engine penalties ahead. He was over four tenths off the pace of his teammate, but the Q3 appearance was still a positive for the Argentine.
A decent start on race day meant that at the end of lap one, he sat in P6. Following Leclerc’s accident, he made the decisive move to overtake Piastri down into the first chicane. He made the move quickly whilst it was still just yellow flags in sector three. After the red flag was cleared, he restarted in fourth. The restart had him battling with Verstappen after a strong getaway. He would eventually lose out to the world champion. A defensive move on lap six against Hamilton caused him to steer wide into the gravel. The mistake at the first Lesmo forced him to rejoin at the rear of the field. He appeared upset about it after the race.
“I squandered a very important opportunity for the team and me.” – Franco Colapinto told the media.
He fought his way back up the field in spite of his mistake. The Argentine was back in the points by lap 29. He managed to close over a five-second gap to Tsunoda, eventually overtaking him for ninth. The 23-year-old finished just two places off his teammate.
Can Alpine Carry Monza Level Performance Over To Madrid?
The double points finish, and pole position for Gasly, is a huge step forward for the French team. The weekend showed they have plenty of promise ahead of the remaining races. Their Monza spec upgrades, including a front wing endplate, clearly paid dividends. Both drivers were able to take the fight to the top four teams.
Gasly’s finish in seventh, was nearly 18 seconds ahead of the first Racing Bulls of Arvid Lindblad. Colapinto managed to finish just two seconds behind Lindblad, after having to climb back up through the field. This is a clear sign that there is harmony between the chassis and Mercedes power unit at circuits like Monza, putting them ahead of their championship rivals on pace.
Heading to Madrid, it will be interesting to see if Alpine have the same pace advantage at an entirely different circuit, over the Red Bull sister team. Can Colapinto learn from his mistake, and teammate Gasly carry the same momentum, to another double points finish? They will hope to continue to take the fight to Racing Bulls for ‘best of the rest’, especially after losing out on valuable points due to the Monaco penalties.