Pierre Gasly converted a P11 start into tenth place at the Dutch Grand Prix, adding another point to the one he took in Saturday’s Sprint. Team-mate Franco Colapinto had a stronger opening lap but was hit with a drive-through penalty and came home P14, exactly where he started. Alpine says its new upgrade package made a clear difference at Zandvoort, with Monza up next.
BWT Alpine Formula One Team left the Dutch Grand Prix with a single point and a long list of things to work through. Pierre Gasly finished tenth after starting eleventh, while Franco Colapinto ended the race in P14 — the same position he lined up in.
How the race unfolded
Both drivers began on new medium tyres and both switched rubber during the red-flag stoppage at the end of lap two: Gasly to used mediums, Colapinto to new mediums. Gasly then pitted on lap 18 for new hards and again on lap 46 for used mediums, setting a fastest lap of 1min 16.220secs. Colapinto stopped on lap 21 for new hards and on lap 45 for new softs, and was the quicker of the two over a single lap with a 1min 15.578secs.
Gasly said his getaway was strong enough to lift him to ninth before he had to take avoiding action at the final corner, and that he held eighth after the second restart before the race turned into a scrap with Racing Bulls.
“Clearly Racing Bulls are our direct rivals and they had a plan to maximise their race and impact ours. That was to be expected but it was an annoying one behind the wheel!”
A penalty that decided Colapinto’s afternoon
Colapinto made the better start of the two Alpines, reporting that he passed four cars on the opening lap and ran inside the points. A drive-through penalty for an incident on that same lap then undid the gain.
“I find it harsh and it is one we will review and try to learn and understand further,” the Argentinian said, adding that the car struggled for tyre grip once he was back in traffic. He is due to receive the same upgrade package as Gasly at the next round.
Upgrades that appear to work
The team introduced new parts at Zandvoort, and both drivers linked the weekend’s points to that package. Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore said the upgrades had “clearly made an impact” but that Alpine still needs to understand them better and keep adding performance, pointing to Racing Bulls’ continued competitiveness and to Audi, which he described as exceptionally fast on the day.
Briatore also said the team gained two points on its direct Constructors’ Championship rivals across the weekend, counting Gasly’s Sprint point on Saturday alongside Sunday’s finish. On Colapinto’s penalty, he called it severe and harsh while acknowledging that the rules exist for safety reasons.
What it means
For a team fighting in the lower half of the Constructors’ standings, single points carry real weight, and Alpine’s own reading is that the Zandvoort upgrade moved it into a more competitive window rather than transforming the picture outright. The immediate test is Monza, where a low-drag circuit will ask very different questions of the same parts — and where Colapinto will have the updated car for the first time.
Alpine runs the A526 from its long-standing Enstone base in Oxfordshire, where it has operated since 1992 under a succession of names. The team next races at Monza.
Source: media.alpinecars.com