Neither BWT Alpine car made it out of Q1 in rain-hit qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix. Franco Colapinto qualified 17th and Pierre Gasly 18th, and the team says it cannot yet explain its lack of pace in the wet. More rain is forecast for Sunday’s race.
BWT Alpine had a difficult Saturday at the São Paulo Grand Prix. Both drivers were knocked out in the first part of a wet qualifying session, and the team says it has no clear explanation yet. Franco Colapinto ended up 17th with a best time of 1min 33.327secs. Pierre Gasly was 18th on 1min 33.449secs.
The result was all the more disappointing because the team’s dry-weather running had looked more promising earlier in the day. In the final practice session, Gasly was 11th fastest on 1min 12.644secs and Colapinto 14th on 1min 12.925secs.
Off the pace from the start
Gasly said the car was too slow throughout qualifying. He found that hard to accept at a circuit where wet races have gone his way before. Two years ago, Alpine took a double podium in a rain-affected race at the same venue, with Gasly finishing third.
“We were just too slow today and it’s a frustrating end to our day. When it rains, usually opportunities come your way and I’ve had good memories in the past here in the wet conditions, so to be out in Q1 is of course very disappointing. We just lacked pace the whole session which, to me, is very odd. We struggled for pace compared to everyone else so we need to quickly look into why and hopefully improve for tomorrow where the conditions could be very similar to today. It will be a challenge from that far back but we’ll review everything as a team and see what we can do in the race to progress.”
Grip the missing ingredient
Colapinto said the car had much less grip in the rain than in the dry, while rival teams seemed to cope better. He hopes the team can find more speed on the Intermediate tyres than it managed on the Extreme Wets, if the weather is similar on Sunday.
“We were simply not as quick in the wet as we have been in the dry. We were lacking grip and overall pace in the conditions whereas others did not seem to have as much difficulty,” the Argentine said.
He also pointed out that grid penalties have pushed some drivers away from their usual starting positions. That could open chances during the race. “It will be a long race, there are some drivers out of position to normal as a result of grid penalties, so we’ll need to grab all the opportunities which might come our way,” he added.
Strategy was not the problem
Managing Director Steve Nielsen said the team’s timing was right. On a track that got faster lap after lap, both cars were among the last to cross the line, which is usually where you want to be. That makes the gap to the rest of the field harder to understand.
“So, to be that far off with all those considerations, and not looking competitive at all, is particularly puzzling for us,” Nielsen said. He added that the team will keep a close eye on the forecast, as more rain is expected. “We’ll aim to find some solutions and give the drivers the tools they need to fight their way back up the field.”
What it means for Sunday
Alpine now has one night to work out why the A526 was among the slowest cars in the wet. Its drivers will start near the back of the field. If the rain continues, the race could still be unpredictable. Wet conditions, a long race distance and penalised drivers starting out of position could all help the team gain places.
The São Paulo Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, and more rain is forecast.
Source: media.alpinecars.com