Alpine’s Despair in Mexico: A Race to Forget for Colapinto and Gasly
In a disheartening display at the Mexican Grand Prix, the Alpine team found themselves at the very back of the pack, leaving drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly grappling with the stark reality of their car’s limitations. As the checkered flag waved, the duo crossed the finish line in the last positions, underscoring a tumultuous period for the team that currently languishes at the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship standings.
“I didn’t expect the race to be this long,” Colapinto lamented, still hunting for his first points of the season. “We tried our best to maximize the performance of the car. We spent a lot of laps on hard tires, but looking at the lap times, we simply weren’t competitive. We were painfully slow on that compound. Perhaps we spent too much time on it, but when you’re slow, you just fall further behind.”
Amid the chaos and frustration, there was a glimmer of hope in the final stint. Colapinto noted, “The last stint on soft tires was very promising. I was quick. When I have grip and the car responds, I can be fast. I’m happy about that, but it’s overshadowed by my disappointment with the overall pace and the final result.”
Gasly, who finished just ahead of his teammate, echoed the sentiments of his colleague, expressing a fierce determination to turn things around at the next Grand Prix. “We will keep pushing and hope for better performance in Brazil,” he stated. “However, we’ve had multiple races like this, and today we felt we didn’t seize the opportunities. We could have finished 15 seconds ahead. We’ll analyze everything and aim to improve for the next race.”
As Alpine heads to Brazil, they trail Kick Sauber by a daunting 40 points. Yet, Gasly reminded fans of the team’s potential for a comeback, recalling last year’s surprising double podium in challenging conditions. This memory keeps the glimmer of hope alive as they set their sights on the next round of the championship.
In the high-stakes world of Formula 1, the pressure is relentless, and for Alpine, the time for excuses is over. The Brazilian Grand Prix looms large, and the team must rise from the ashes if they hope to salvage their season. With the eyes of the racing world upon them, can they deliver the performance that fans so desperately crave? Only time will tell.
