BBC F1 pundit fears one team have ‘lots of work’ after worrying Bahrain GP signs

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BBC F1 pundit Alice Powell fears Alpine have ‘a lot of work to do’ after Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly locked out the back row of the grid for the Bahrain GP in qualifying.

The worrying signs in Sakhir were even evident throughout pre-season testing and practice for Saturday’s opening race. Alpine have consistently appeared off the pace and their plight came home to roost on Friday. Ocon was 1.614 seconds off Max Verstappen’s pole lap time.

Worse for Alpine was that Gasly lapped the Bahrain International Circuit 0.155 seconds off his teammate’s best time in Q1. The Enstone outfit now face a gruelling opening race when the lights go out at the Bahrain GP this Saturday and, potentially, for the rest of this season.

Ocon and Gasly are hammering home Alpine’s plight at the Bahrain GP

Alpine developed an ‘aggressive’ new car design for the 2024 Formula 1 campaign with the A524. Technical director Matt Harman also described the car as a ‘strong platform’ that the squad hope to develop throughout the year. But their upgrades cannot come soon enough.

Former GP3 and W-Series driver Powell is adamant that Alpine have their work cut out with the A524 given how far off the pace Ocon and Gasly have been at the Bahrain GP. They were ninth and 20th on the grid respectively last year. Yet Gasly charged through to finish in ninth.

Powell fears Alpine have ‘a lot of work’ to make the A524 car competitive

A mechanical issue forced Ocon to retire from the 2023 Bahrain GP, so he will likely hope to at least take the chequered flag this Saturday. But the worrying signs Alpine have shown so far this year in Sakhir have tempted Powell to raise the alarm on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra:

“Alpine have got a completely different car compared to last year – only the steering wheel has apparently survived. And they have not had a strong free practice session, and I would say didn’t look fantastic in pre-season testing. So, they’ve certainly got a lot of work to do.”

Likewise, Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok has also suggested Alpine need ‘some big upgrades’. The former HRT Formula 1 driver fears Ocon and Gasly are in for a ‘tough year’ unless the Renault-owned outfit find pace in car which lacks downforce and is overweight.