Alpine endured a harsh setback at the Hungarian Grand Prix, as both Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto failed to score points, plunging the team to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship behind Racing Bulls.
The Enstone-based outfit’s weekend was marred by a stark lack of pace and grip, allowing their rivals, notably the Faenza-based Racing Bulls, to extend their advantage to five points.
Gasly, who started and finished the race in 12th place, openly criticized the car’s performance and his struggling connection with it. “Looking at the final result, as a team, we were not close enough to fight for points and we lacked the pace to compete with Racing Bull or Audi,” Gasly admitted. Despite experimenting with alternative strategies and fresh tyre sets, the Frenchman confirmed that these efforts failed to improve their race pace. “Sometimes the car doesn’t give the best feedback, and even if you have the pace to get a result, right now the feeling with the car isn’t good, and the performance reflects that,” he stated bluntly. Gasly also emphasized the urgency for Alpine to deliver upgrades swiftly: “We know new parts are coming, and we hope they bring the performance we expect. Other teams have shown it’s possible, and we need to do the same. It’s important to bring improvements quickly, or reclaiming fifth in the championship will be tough.”
The struggles were even more pronounced for rookie teammate Franco Colapinto, who barely avoided elimination in Q2 and finished 15th. “It was a very tough afternoon, and generally, we lacked a lot of pace,” Colapinto confirmed. He detailed how issues began early in the race: “After the first three laps, I started having problems with the car and unfortunately couldn’t recover. Even with new tyres, we were still off the pace and slow.” He suspects a potential damage to the car may have compromised both balance and grip, adding, “We will discuss this with the team.” Looking ahead, Colapinto acknowledged the need for continued hard work. “In the last two races before today, we scored points, but we must improve. Aston Martin has demonstrated that big steps forward are possible, and we hope to do the same when we bring upgrades.” The young driver plans to remain at the Hungaroring for Pirelli tyre testing before taking his summer break. “I’ll rest and come back ready for Zandvoort,” he concluded.
Alpine’s failure to score at the Hungaroring underlines a critical phase in their season, as competitors close the gap and the battle for top-five status intensifies. With new parts on the horizon, the pressure mounts on the team to halt their downward slide and regain competitiveness immediately.