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BWT Alpine F1 Team finished the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship in sixth place after the final race in Abu Dhabi at the weekend. The team racked up 120 points across the season from Esteban Ocon’s 58 points and Pierre Gasly’s 62 points, seeing them finish in twelfth and eleventh place respectively in the Drivers’ Championship.
On Sunday in Abu Dhabi both drivers looked to finish the season on a high as Gasly started in tenth and Ocon in twelfth. Gasly then climbed as high as eighth by the end of the opening lap but after sustaining damage to his A523 when he had contact with Lewis Hamilton on lap 15. This caused a significant loss in aerodynamic performance which contributed to his struggle to gain back positions for the points.
He switched to a two-stop strategy whilst Ocon continued his one-stop strategy, pitting on lap 15 for Hards. The pair crossed the finished line with Ocon in twelfth place and Gasly in thirteenth, narrowly missing out on final points for the season.
Reflecting on the race, and the season, Ocon said: “That’s a wrap on the 2023 season and it was not the best of races from us to finish the year. We simply seemed to lack pace today and, unfortunately, we finished outside of the points in twelfth place. On my side we opted for the one-stop strategy and we fell short of the top ten. We have a lot to review from this race and a lot to analyse from what has been an inconsistent and up and down season. We did not reach the objectives we set ourselves at the beginning of the year and it is time for us to debrief, regroup and focus on key areas of improvement. I have no doubt we will come back stronger and hungrier than ever to improve all together as a team to put ourselves in a better position next year. We have the test on Tuesday and after that it is time to rest before firmly setting our sights on 2024. Thank you to the team and all the fans for their unconditional support this year. I already cannot wait for lights out in Bahrain.”
Gasly added: “For us, that is not the way we wanted to end the season, where, unfortunately we finished today’s race outside of the points. It was a frustrating afternoon. After a good start, I was hit by Checo [Perez] and then later by Lewis [Hamilton] and we had quite a lot of damage to the rear of the car, which we carried for a lot of the race. I saw the damage afterwards and it’s quite extensive! It was a difficult race from there and we have things to review, lots to learn, as we probably did not optimise everything where scoring some points could have been possible. In terms of the season, I have really enjoyed joining the Alpine family. It has been a mixed season on track, but from where started in Bahrain, we are in a much better place now and that is really positive and encouraging. Thanks to everyone at Enstone, Viry and at the track for their immense work and I’m confident next year we can be so much stronger.”
The team will remain in Abu Dhabi for post-season testing where Ocon will be joined by reserve driver Jack Doohan who is fresh from his Feature Race victory in FIA Formula 2.
