Bruno Famen, Alpine F1 boss, admitted that while the team was prepared for a difficult start to the season, the disastrous qualifying results in Bahrain were a real shock for everyone, but there was also a positive side to it.
Bruno Famen: “The team’s results in Bahrain were literally shocking, although we anticipated that the start of the season would be difficult and we discussed this at the presentation of the car. But when we stood on the last row of the starting field after qualifying, it was, to be honest, a real shock. But in a way it was a positive shock, because it just confirmed the need for change, and we made those changes.
When I took this position seven months ago, I immediately thought of reforms, but preparing for them obviously took time. Among other things, I had to get to know people better, understand how work was organized at the bases in Enstone and Viri. But I soon realized that reforms were necessary.
We understand the underlying issues that impacted Bahrain’s results. But we have a completely new car and we will do everything we can to modernize it. One of the main problems is the poor grip of the drive wheels on the road, which manifests itself when exiting corners.
This is what our riders complained about more than what was heard on the radio. That’s why we had a particularly difficult time in Bahrain, because you need good acceleration out of the slow corners there.”
According to Famen, changes to the leadership structure of Alpine F1’s technical department should bear fruit this year, but are also aimed at the longer term.
“The A524 is a completely new car, it has potential and we will certainly achieve improvements,” he is convinced. – But we also need to change the approach to chassis development itself, and we are talking about the approach as a whole. First of all, I am talking about the psychology of people, about their attitudes. The key challenge in 2024 is to achieve real change in these areas. “At the same time, everything we learn while modernizing our car will be very useful in creating the A526, the car of 2026.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
