Alpine's 2024 F1 challenger reportedly "overweight, aerodynamically inefficient, slow on a single lap and in long runs"

Alpine F1's 2024 challenger is "overweight and aerodynamically inefficient" while also being slow on the long runs and single-lap, as per reports from Auto Motor Und Sport. The reports come shortly after the conclusion of the pre-season testing in Bahrain.

The French team were one of the slowest teams during the three days of testing. The A524 looked inconsistent and slow, with the team focusing on the long runs to understand their new concept.

Although it would be pretty difficult to assess their true performance, both Alpine drivers were not too optimistic heading into the first race of the season next weekend. As reported by AMUS, many high-ranking engineers are on the move as Alpine as the works team could not afford to sit in their current position.

After three days of pre-season testing, Pierre Gasly said of the A524 to Sky TV:

"To be fair I haven't really focussed on others because there's been so much going on our side. I don't think we look great. But at the same time, we still have a couple of days to really understand everything we've done. We've put the car upside down, and done a lot of tests.

"So hopefully, some analysis and answers will bring us some more performance. And then, we'll find out, no one will hide anymore next Friday. But I think we'll have to be patient, even if it's not what we like as drivers, but clearly, it might take some time before we really unlock the performance we want from that car."

---

Alpine F1 driver previews a 'difficult' start for the 2024 season

Pierre Gasly stated that it would be a 'difficult' start to the 2024 season for the team, admitting that the first race in Bahrain won't be easy.

As quoted by the aforementioned source, the Alpine driver said:

"It's not going to be an easy first race. We're not going to start from where we would have liked. But at the same time, we've got to give ourselves some time to understand that new car concept that we have."

However, he claimed that the French outfit was aware of its weaknesses and that they would work towards fixing it, adding:

"The good thing is we've identified very clearly what we've got to work on as a team. Now, whether we're able to fix it with car setup or not, for the first few races of the season, time will tell, but for sure there'll be an aggressive plan of upgrades which we will need to close the gap."