Alpine's British GP: A Battle to Keep Pace in the Midfield

At the British Grand Prix, Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto found themselves in a game of catch-up as they struggled with performance against their midfield rivals, Racing Bulls. Going into the weekend with a slender 13-point advantage, they left Silverstone with that margin reduced to just one point, after failing to score in the Sprint and only managing P9 and P10 in the main race.

This marked Alpine's third double points finish of the season, but the competition is nipping at their heels. Colapinto's drive from 19th to 9th was commendable, especially considering an early setback in qualifying. Yet, both drivers were candid about the car's lack of pace, particularly as they slipped behind Audi and Racing Bulls.

Gasly, who was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding, initially gained the upper hand in an intra-team duel, but a sluggish second pit stop saw him concede position to Colapinto. "Good damage limitation for the team – three points," Gasly remarked, though he was less than thrilled about losing P9. He added, "We're just too slow here."

Gasly's first stint was a tale of frustration, with him chasing Gabriel Bortoleto and the Racing Bulls car, only to see them pull away. "We need to definitely improve very quickly," he said, underscoring the urgency for Alpine.

Colapinto, meanwhile, made a strong start, gaining several positions early on and capitalizing on retirements ahead of him. A late Safety Car helped him secure P9. Reflecting on the race, he admitted, "It was a tricky day yesterday with the floor failure but in general, it’s been a very positive day."

Despite a stronger race pace compared to qualifying, the gap to Racing Bulls remains glaringly apparent. With Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad finishing P6 and P7, Alpine's battle in the midfield is heating up.

Colapinto noted, "We had a good start and the car was in a better place than on Friday – still quite an inconsistent ride, so we need to do big steps with the team to try and make it faster."

He also faced personal challenges during the race, dealing with a visibility issue in the final laps. Yet, he remains optimistic: "Generally it was a positive race. I started from P19 with a very strong start, a very strong first part of the race in terms of pace, and then we could go forward."

Looking ahead to Belgium, Alpine knows the work that lies ahead. Colapinto summed it up, "I think we need to do a lot of work and try to improve the car in many aspects to be stronger."