Unsung midfield F1 team’s “experienced, old, wise heads” credited
“Operationally experienced - that was important"
Alpine’s “experience” has been credited for their exemplary result at last week’s F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
A chaotic round in Brazil concluded with a double podium for Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly.
It was an unexpected but brilliant result for Alpine who have been forced to battle through some challenging days in their Formula 1 journey recently.
“Extraordinary, absolutely extraordinary,” Mark Webber reacted to Channel 4.
“When you are having such a long season in that mid-pack - Haas, the sister Red Bull team, Aston Martin - when these big days come along, and you get the big catch in, you make such a big difference to the championship positions.
“They are up into sixth from absolutely nowhere.
“Their two experienced, old, wise heads - that’s very interesting. They got the job done.
“The car looked comfortable for them, [the team] got their calls right.
“Operationally experienced - that was important. Sporting regulations, those things are important.”
Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes said: “What a way to end the triple-header with a double podium for the team. Even more so after the early alarm call after the rain delay!
“Both drivers were faultless in difficult conditions, not putting a wheel wrong all day.
“On top of the points in the Sprint race yesterday, it’s been a great weekend for the whole team in all conditions and a real credit to everyone across Enstone and Viry for their hard work these past two months to bring performance to the track.
“This gives us some momentum that we must use to finish the season strongly.”
Impressively, Alpine now sit behind only McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin in the constructors’ championship.
The arrival of Flavio Briatore - after a year of their upper management being significantly altered - represented a major change this season.
They are also set to engine their own engine programme and are expected to link up with Mercedes for 2026 when the new regulations kick in.
In 2025 Alpine will welcome Jack Doohan for his rookie season in place of Haas-bound Ocon.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
