F1 team have already made improvements to their 2024 car, last year’s chassis was ‘too bulky’

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Alpine may have failed to live up to their expectations this season but they’ve already made some significant changes to their car heading into 2024.

In Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, they have a strong driver line-up even if it isn’t the most amicable.

A report from Spanish outlet SoyMotor has shared what the French team is doing to escape a one-team midfield on the grid.

Last season saw two distinct groups open up in the championship, with the top five teams regularly challenging for points and occasionally points.

Meanwhile, the bottom four teams were all in contention to finish seventh going into the final race in Abu Dhabi.

This left Alpine all on their own in sixth, nearly 100 points ahead of Williams and 160 points behind Aston Martin.

The team had got some things right in their development but ultimately never had the straight-line speed to challenge the top teams.

Alpine know they need to make changes to their car in 2024 and think they’ve nailed one issue.

However, they’ve also made an application to the FIA to change their engine software and that could unlock some of the underlying pace they’ve been missing compared to their rivals.

Alpine to make big changes to the car ahead of 2024

The report from SoyMotor suggests that Alpine wanted to make changes to their power unit that could unlock an extra 30 horsepower.

The FIA rejected their application to make these changes but instead made a software change that will help with energy recovery.

While it’s not the perfect solution, it should mean their drivers can enjoy the benefits of the ERS for longer.

Alpine’s technical director Matt Harman also admitted: “Our 2023 chassis is too bulky, so we need a smaller chassis to integrate some of the planned improvements.”

The likelihood is that Alpine’s car in 2024 will look more like Red Bull’s which is expected to be a trend across the grid.

Their car was so dominant this year that every other team would be mad not to try and take inspiration from the champions.

However, Red Bull have been developing the newest iteration of the RB19 for some time and it would be no surprise if Adrian Newey still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Alpine will hope that they can bridge the gap to the top five manufacturers in 2024 to avoid another season of fighting amongst themselves.