The A524 may not be at its best at the start of the 2024 season. Instead, the team plans on bringing mid-season upgrades to improve the car step by step. For Alpine, the name of the game is stability. They aim to provide the staff with a car that is stable enough to work on during weekends with non-limiting choices. Hence, they are focusing on mid-season improvements rather than featuring a strong car from the get-go.

| Alpine and Otro Capital have secured investments from renowned sports figures into their €200m fund.

The new strategic investors include NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, golfer Rory McIlroy, boxer Anthony Joshua, and footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold.

These… pic.twitter.com/Qf7WlEA79m

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) October 17, 2023

Preparations for the new season are almost over for each team, and Alpine is no different. They saw a major reshuffling in their staff owing to the huge cash influx. A revamped management roster oversaw a significant change in the team’s philosophy. Instead of focusing on the long-term future, they chose to “fight for positions that matter in the next two years.”

Heavy investments shall play a pivotal role in the stark change in philosophy. Aside from Otro Capital and Co. chiming in with their funding, several others preceded them in investing in Alpine. RedBird Capital Partners, Maximum Effort Investments, and Ryan Reynolds also pitched in with investments. Together, they bought a 24% stake in the team.

Can Alpine improve its 2023 performance?

2023 saw Alpine lie in the middle of the ground, basically in a league of their own. The team scored 120 points and secured two podiums throughout 2023. Each of their drivers secured one podium, allowing their team to finish sixth in the constructors’ championship. No team below them managed to secure a podium finish. Furthermore, Alpine was comfortable in their position, given the next-best team was 92 points behind them. Aston Martin was fifth in the rankings, 160 points ahead of Alpine.

A524’s first outing pic.twitter.com/TFrEXvx8iV

— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) February 20, 2024

According to Pierre Gasly, last season’s Alpine car had a small operating window. He felt the car had much better balance at the start of the season than towards the end. Gasly conceded the overall potential of the car was nowhere near the top teams, and hence, it wasn’t easy to operate. Alpine’s Technical Director, Matt Harman, also admitted to them being “aerodynamically outgunned” by their opposition. He added they ran out of time to develop the RE22 power unit despite having the necessary tech.

The team is focused on not repeating these mistakes and taking full advantage of their management team. However, a question mark remains over their performances for the 2024 season.

The post Alpine F1 To Make Mid-Season Gamble With Star Money From Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Ryan Reynolds on the Line appeared first on The SportsRush.

“There was a lot of sweat in Dubai. So that’s good preparation for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. It was good. Yuki Tsunoda was there, so we had good karting sessions, met each other a few times in the gym, pushed each other, and played a bit of padel. Just fun to see him in a different mindset and get into that competitive mindset.”

During the same interview, the 28-year-old explained how he feels that he is in the best shape physically. He stated that since he now has seven years of experience under his belt, he is well aware of which areas he needs to work on.

Since Gasly feels in a good place, both mentally and physically, he will hope that he can improve this season after a difficult campaign last year. The former AlphaTauri driver only managed to finish eleventh in the 2023 championship with 62 points. However, he did beat his teammate, Esteban Ocon, by four points.

How is the partnership between Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon?

Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have not always seen eye to eye, right from their karting days together. Both drivers are not only French but they also grew up in close proximity to each other in Normandy. As a result, they have been rivals right from childhood.

However, it was a collision between them during the final race in the Bridgestone Cup in 2009 that changed their relationship for the worse. From that point on, Gasly and Ocon have always shared a tense relationship.

Although there have been instances of tension even during their time as teammates at Alpine, Gasly believes that he and Ocon are mature enough to handle the situation now. In an interview on F1’s Beyond the Grid last year, Gasly claimed that he and Ocon have found a way to work well together to push Alpine in the car’s development.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by PIERRE GASLY (@pierregasly)

Now, with just a couple of weeks remaining before the 2024 F1 season kickstarts in Bahrain, it will be interesting to see if Alpine have made any significant improvements or not. Gasly is hopeful that Alpine’s decision to carry out a complete overhaul of last year’s concept will help his side achieve good results this season.

Alpine’s technical director Matt Harman explained how his side have chosen a more “aggressive” approach for the A524. He believes that such an approach will help them extract more performance from the car and hopes that doing so can also translate into better results on the track.

The post Pierre Gasly Still Trains With Yuki Tsunoda Even After Splitting a Year Before appeared first on The SportsRush.

The French MotoGP rider said as per Autosport,

“It was strange because I was visiting Maranello a couple of days before the announcement and Piero Ferrari suggested it to me. But at that moment I didn’t know how to interpret it, I didn’t get it. I didn’t fall for it until it became official.”

Quartararo is a renowned F1 fan, and also has a great relationship with Piero Ferrari, the second and only living son of Ferrari’s founder Enzo. Ahead of the 2024 MotoGP pre-season testing, the former world champion champion took a tour of Maranello in January. Piero showed him around the Ferrari facility, which is when he likely told Quartararo about this potential move.

Thank you @FabioQ20 for stopping by, it was an absolute pleasure having you here.#Maranello #Ferrari pic.twitter.com/gLKWechzsJ

— Ferrari (@Ferrari) January 26, 2024

Initially, Quartararo did not want to believe Piero Ferrari and kept the information aside just like any other rumor. In the end, it turned out to be true, and Hamilton’s move to the iconic Italian stable caught everyone, including Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff off guard.

Wolff revealed in an interview that he only got to know about the information on January 31. Prior to this, he believed that his star driver would remain in Brackley even post 2025. Nonetheless, some people knew about the move before the news broke.

Who knew about Lewis Hamilton’s arrival in Ferrari?

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were one of the first people to know about the transfer. While Leclerc’s stay in Ferrari was confirmed because of his contract extension, the same cannot be said about Sainz. Sainz was told that he would leave Ferrari at the end of the 2024 season to make way for Hamilton.

It’s been a crazy few days which have been filled with a whole range of emotions.

But as you all now know, after an incredible 11 years at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life and I will be joining Scuderia Ferrari in 2025.

I… pic.twitter.com/ysie0XxAFe

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 3, 2024

Apart from them, Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur and Hamilton’s brother Nicholas Hamilton also knew about the move before it became public. Among his fellow drivers, Pierre Gasly of Alpine admitted that he heard about the news. He also praised how the news was kept under wraps for such a long time.

When rumors of Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari first started gathering substance, many thought it was a hoax. After it became official, many started billing this as the most exciting driver transfer of all time.

The post MotoGP Rider Reveals Ferrari Gave Him Early Leak of Lewis Hamilton News, but He Failed to Realize appeared first on The SportsRush.

As quoted on X (former Twitter), Max Verstappen cited Pierre Gasly’s friendship with Charles Leclerc as the reason behind the Alpine driver not being surprised. He said, “Pierre is a good friend of Charles, so that’s why.”

Making the jump to Ferrari for the 2025 season was one of Hamilton’s major moves. Although his action astonished the entire F1 community, Pierre Gasly wasn’t taken aback. During the Alpine car unveiling, the Frenchman admitted to knowing about Hamilton’s discussion with Ferrari.

Max: “Pierre is a good friend of Charles, so that’s why”

not max being a a yapper and exposing charles and pierre like that pic.twitter.com/hrPhoHyfoy

— ¹⁶ (@bliss_n16) February 16, 2024

For the unaware, Gasly and Leclerc aren’t pals because of F1. They have been friends since their early days of karting, and in the 2010 French Karting Championship, they were teammates with Sodikart.

Moreover, the two-star drivers are frequently seen hanging out together. They attended the men’s doubles final at the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco. The Monegasque also talked about his friendship with Gasly, calling him a good friend off the track. Following that, the pair was also seen in Paris promoting the NBA.

 What did Max Verstappen say of Lewis Hamilton’s deal?

Since the 2021 season, Max Verstappen has emerged as Lewis Hamilton’s most formidable opponent. That year, the fight went so close that both had to compete on the last lap to determine the winner of the championship. Ever since, Verstappen has demonstrated unmatched dominance while Hamilton has failed to win a single Grand Prix.

Thus, knowing how desperate Hamilton has been to win, the reigning champion himself has justified his switch to Ferrari. While talking to Sky Sports F1, Verstappen said that he wasn’t surprised to hear about Hamilton’s blockbuster move. He elaborated, ” At the end of the day seeing him go to Ferrari is not a surprise. If that’s your goal as a kid or your dream then you go, right?”

Verstappen also said that Hamilton would now have some awkward moments in the Mercedes garage going forward. He justified this by saying that the team could no longer incorporate the Briton into everything, despite their great performance as a team.

However, Verstappen didn’t want to imply that Mercedes would no longer support and stand by Hamilton with these remarks. While concluding, Verstappen said, “It’s not like they are suddenly enemies or whatever. Once he is sitting in the car they will still go flat out for him to try and win races as well.”

The post Max Verstappen Exposes Why Pierre Gasly Knew About Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Move Early On appeared first on The SportsRush.

The story had a photo of Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes holding the NFL trophy. Gasly added the caption, “ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! WHAT A GAME!” to the photo. He added the words, “Let’s get it,” and tagged the Chiefs’ account before congratulating them.

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were HYPED after the Chiefs TD!

( NFL, CBS) pic.twitter.com/jNdGtOPai5

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) February 12, 2024

Chiefs’ Tight End, Travis Kelce, also played a starring role in the win, claiming a crucial gain of a few yards right before the game-winning touchdown pass. Kelce is an important member of Alpine‘s F1 setup, given his role in investing in the team alongside Mahomes.

Rory McIlroy (Golf), Anthony Joshua (Boxing), Juan Mata, and Trent Alexander Arnold (both Soccer) are also key investors in the French team alongside Otro Capital.

The professional athletes and the investment group committed to an investment of about $218 million in the team. In exchange, they acquired a 24% stake in the team. To showcase their support for the Enstone outfit, both Kelce and Mahomes were present at the inaugural Las Vegas GP last year.

Travis Kelce thrilled to invest in the team that houses Pierre Gasly

Following his investment in Alpine, Kelce revealed he was thrilled to lead an investor group and join forces with Mahomes. He added he looked forward to the new chapter and was restless to see what they could achieve together.

Further showcasing his support for the team, Kelce recently flaunted a black Alpine cap on his podcast. The act generated a lot of buzz, with fans wanting to get their hands on the same.

Earlier this week, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes became Formula 1 team owners when they bought into Alpine.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly — the team’s drivers — arrived at the U.S. Grand Prix in Kelce and Mahomes jerseys.

pic.twitter.com/52uop2TDz4

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 22, 2023

Despite the investment, Alpine saw a dip in its performance from 2022. The team finished in P4 that season, securing 173 points but no podiums. However, the following season saw them tumble down 6th, with 120 points.

The only positive to come from the season was that Alpine secured two podium finishes. Nonetheless, the investment remains a ray of hope for the French team, who would be looking to improve in 2024.

The post Pierre Gasly Hit with the Super Bowl Fever as He Chimes in to Congratulate the Chiefs On an Iconic Win appeared first on The SportsRush.

Alpine recently unveiled their 2024 F1 challenger named A524. This was when the French driver opened up about his Mercedes connection to the media. He said as per the Dutch website Formule1, “I’m still a Mercedes junior driver, even though I’m not so junior anymore. I have always had good ties with the team.”

However, Ocon also revealed that his only goal is to concentrate on this season and come out on top with Alpine. This indirectly means that he wants to get better off his teammate, Pierre Gasly, something he hasn’t done in 2023.

hello 2024 whaddya think? pic.twitter.com/J3Fz0ozthP

— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) February 7, 2024

Gasly and Ocon aren’t like any other F1 teammate pair, as they have a bitter history. The two drivers who came out from karting in France shared fierce rivalries during their junior days. However, things died down slowly as they grew up, but when the time came, Ocon would not think twice to take the better step.

The #31 driver finished the 2023 F1 season in P12 with 58 points and a podium. Whereas, Pierre Gasly finished a place ahead in P11 with 62 points and a podium as well. Together they could only propel Alpine to finish in P6 in the Constructors’ championship with 120 points.

As the Enstone outfit’s performance does not seem to improve, both Ocon and Gasly may look for options elsewhere. With their contracts expiring at the end of 2024, they may fancy the Mercedes seat for next year.

Can Ocon move to Mercedes in 2025?

Esteban Ocon has ties with Mercedes for a long time. He was a junior driver for the Silver Arrows and drove for Mercedes-Benz in the 2016 DTM season. But most importantly, he spent a year in the reserve driver role in 2019 behind Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. This was after losing his Racing Point, formerly Force India seat to Lance Stroll at the end of 2018. As a result, he built a strong tie with Toto Wolff’s team.

Interestingly, Ocon came very close to snatching Bottas’ seat in the Silver Arrows in 2020. However, his deal with Renault, currently Alpine worked out perfectly, and Mercedes too did not object to that. The Enstone-based team brought the 27-year-old to replace Nico Hulkenberg.

Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon reflects on having to watch this season from the sidelines

“It’s frustrating for sure. I would like to be racing, but I’m learning a lot with Mercedes. Being part of this fantastic team is priceless.”

See more now @Channel4 @All4#C4F1 pic.twitter.com/HRI8WI04bI

— Channel 4 F1® (@C4F1) April 14, 2019

Ocon’s contract with Alpine ends this year, which he signed in 2021. Meanwhile, the Silver Arrows are still to decide on Hamilton’s replacement from 2025 onwards. This makes the Frenchman one of the candidates to be in a Mercedes seat next season, and therefore, the move for him is not entirely impossible.

Nevertheless, it all comes down to Toto Wolff and Mercedes management to make the final decision before they bring in a driver for 2025. They have the whole 2024 season to evaluate, test, and experiment with his options before he brings in a driver to replace the legendary Hamilton! Apart from Ocon, a few other drivers who are expected to be shortlisted to replace him are Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Mick Schumacher and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The post Esteban Ocon Is Eyeing Lewis Hamilton’s Seat for 2025 – “I Have Always Had Good Ties With Mercedes” appeared first on The SportsRush.

During Alpine’s 2024 car launch, journalists of Sky Sports asked Gasly about Norris’ decision to not move to Red Bull. Gasly, who raced with Verstappen at Red Bull in 2019, said, “I respect that. I think he’s trying to build McLaren team around him.”

He added, “He’s been there for a long time. I think he’s probably seen the potential that they’ve unlocked over the last few years. They were pretty competitive last year, managed to get couple of podiums and it’s probably his best shot to compete against Red Bull and Max, so kind of makes sense and it will be interesting to follow that as well.”

Going to Red Bull and competing against Verstappen as one’s teammate is extremely tough. Over the years, Daniel Ricciardo, Gasly, Alex Albon, and Sergio Perez faced it. Therefore, Gasly is speaking from his experience when he says that Red Bull will prioritize Verstappen.

Hence, Norris’ decision to stay with the Papayas where he is the more experienced driver makes sense to the Alpine star.

Is Max Verstappen unbeatable for Lando Norris?

A huge part of the F1 community feels that Red Bull crafts their challenger perfectly to meet Max Verstappen’s needs. The Dutchman has sectors to improve for the team and Horner and Co. recognize them to bring out a car that performs smoothly when the Dutchman drives.

This makes it difficult, in fact almost impossible for drivers to beat Verstappen, even if they are driving the same car. The 26-year-old has been the leader of his team for over six years now, which makes it tough for anyone else to establish authority of any kind.

There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Proud to say I’m staying with @McLarenF1, let’s carry on what we started pic.twitter.com/Y5SRQva0g0

— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) January 26, 2024

Notably, the FIA is all set to bring in new regulations in 2026. It could lead to the fall of Red Bull and Verstappen, giving way for newer teams (maybe even McLaren) to rise to the top.

Keeping that in mind, Norris would have had just one dominant year (2025) had he moved to Red Bull. In the grand scheme of things, with the progress McLaren is making, he has better chances of winning a title. But if McLaren falter down the line, he could leave.

The post “Kind of Makes Sense”: Max Verstappen’s Ex-teammate Pierre Gasly Reacts to Lando Norris Refusing Red Bull’s Advances appeared first on The SportsRush.

In addition to Hamilton and Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris also had a place on the wall. In addition to these F1 entities, Minecraft (a popular video game) characters Alex and Steve also had life-sized cutouts of themselves on the wall, in front of a Volkswagen T-ROC.

THE FUCK IS HE DOING WITH THOSE CUTOUTS pic.twitter.com/GRA3sAPG7N

— nini (@SCUDERIAFEMBOY) January 28, 2024

Fans all over the internet found this bizarre and began questioning whether this was actually Gasly’s house or not. F1 drivers have the utmost amount of respect for each other, but seldom have we seen such levels of dedication if that is Gasly’s garage indeed.

Safe to say that the four cut-outs that Gasly’s picture shows represent four of the best in F1 at the moment. If given a competitive car, they could treat fans to a fantastic four-way battle for the world championship.

Fans react to Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen cut-outs

One of the main questions fans had was whether this was Gasly’s actual house. On X (formerly Twitter), a user suggested under Nini’s post, that maybe this was a fan’s house, and the Alpine driver was just passing.

Maybe he’s passing a fan’s house and that’s why he’s taking pics

— Sarah (@thefellowf1sis) January 28, 2024

Another mind-boggling revelation was the presence of Minecraft characters. Not because having it is unusual, but because they were placed right around the cut-outs of Hamilton, Verstappen, Leclerc, and Norris.

Minecraft…? What?

— Madjoo (@djoo_vem) January 28, 2024

Other fans were undoubtedly convinced that Gasly knows who the threat out on the paddock is. Theories regarding him ‘imagining a showdown’ or ‘practicing targets’ were discussed under the very same post.

I can imagine him standing in front of them practising a showdown scenario.

— HUHNCHEN (@HUHNCHEN1) January 28, 2024

Of course, Gasly himself doesn’t expect to be a part of the title picture this year. But out of the cut-outs that the #10 driver has, one driver is the outright favorite for the 2024 championship. That is none other than Max Verstappen. Coming on the back of three title wins on the trot, the Dutchman will be looking to make it four.

The post Life-Sized Cardboard Cutouts of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen Decorate Pierre Gasly’s Garage appeared first on The SportsRush.

“Fortunately, Red Bull decided to bring him back to us (Toro Rosso).”

“And then, we went to Spa, and he felt well in the car, everything was fine, he knew the team, he knew his engineer. And then he scored immediate points. From then onwards, it went better and better.”

Driving for Toro Rosso in the 2017-18 season alongside Brendon Hartley, Gasly showed a lot of promise as an up-and-coming driver on the grid. After securing 29 points in his debut season with the team, Red Bull decided to give him a promotion and brought him in to partner Max Verstappen following the exit of Daniel Ricciardo from the team.

However, the promising French driver could never become one with the car, facing one problem after another. He was often off-pace in the car, with Verstappen even lapping him once. After putting together a string of poor performances, Red Bull decided it was better for them to send Gasly back to Toro Rosso and look for another driver to partner Verstappen.

Much of what happened was not Gasly’s fault. He was still relatively new in the sport and was driving a car Franz Tost believes he wasn’t ready to drive. Furthermore, Verstappen has a history of ‘killing’ his teammates with his incredible performances, and a young Gasly just became an unfortunate victim of the same. After spending three more seasons with the team, Gasly decided it was time for him to make a switch and joined Alpine in 2023.

Pierre Gasly was a victim of the Verstappen family’s ‘tradition’

Max Verstappen has become increasingly famous for tearing his teammates apart and almost completely killing his teammates’ hopes. While many believe the killer instinct stems from his father’s teachings, it actually came from Michael Schumacher‘s dominance over Jos Verstappen back in the day. Jos Verstappen drove in Benetton alongside Schumacher as a substitute for an injured JJ Lehto and would usually be well off-pace from his teammate.

Michael Schumacher / Jos Verstappen / JJ Letho 1994.#F1 pic.twitter.com/oMYATvxaJa

— Legendary F1 (@LegendarysF1) March 4, 2019

Max Verstappen’s team boss at Toro Rosso, Graham Watson, believes his father’s learnings imprinted on him, leading the young Dutchman to become as dominant as he is. “It has to be your team. You have to be the man around whom it revolves. I’m convinced you now see this with Max: first, beat your teammate, then win the title.”

Sergio Perez stands as the latest victim to suffer the consequences of being a teammate to Verstappen, given what went down in 2023. Should the Mexican continue to pale in comparison to the Dutchman, it would hardly be a surprise to see him vacate the seat for someone else.

The post Franz Tost Calls Pierre Gasly ‘Fortunate’ for Getting ‘Harsh’ Sacking From Red Bull Back in 2019 appeared first on The SportsRush.

Spanish journalist Pedro Fermin reports that both Frenchmen have approached their management to explore possibilities with other teams. Although Ocon and Gasly are contracted with the Enstone outfit until the 2024 season, neither of them seems inclined towards a contract extension.

This is because, throughout the last season, both Ocon and Gasly achieved only one podium each. Moreover, there were multiple instances where the drivers either disagreed with the team’s decisions or were unable to finish races due to their fault. The Enstone team also faced a double DNF as their drivers collided on a chaotic restart in Australia.

Adding to their difficulties, both Ocon and Gasly grappled with hydraulic issues in races held in Great Britain and Azerbaijan, respectively. Moreover, in Hungary, neither of the drivers managed to finish the races. Altogether, Ocon and Gasly encountered 10 instances of crashes throughout the season. As a result of these circumstances, the two drivers are said to be discontented.

In the end, Alpine secured a disappointing sixth place in the constructor’s championship and oversaw a period of internal unrest. CEO Laurent Rossi and team boss Otmar Szafnauer were dismissed in the middle of the season.

Additionally, sporting driver Alan Permane also left after the season, finishing his long-term association with the Enstone outfit. Currently, Bruno Famin has taken up the team principal role in the interim.

What are the options for Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly if they decide to leave Alpine?

Before the 2023 season, Alpine held a more favorable position, having concluded the 2022 season at P4. However, following the departure of key members from the squad, Alpine has encountered a decline in performance, resulting in a lack of positive results. Moreover, the recent success of former Alpine driver Fernando Alonso achieving consecutive podiums might also have affected the team’s morale.

Given these hard circumstances, both Alpine drivers might be contemplating their options post-Alpine. While eligibility for top F1 teams is uncertain, Spanish journalist Fermin suggests there could be a potential solution for Ocon. According to the reporter, the #31 driver is on the priority list for Audi.

The German automaker intends to join the 2026 season by taking over the Sauber team. For this, they’ve already started the process by appointing former McLaren team boss Andrea Seidl as their CEO.

However, Ocon isn’t the only contender in Audi’s recruitment efforts. Even Carlos Sainz, Nico Hulkenberg, and Valtteri Bottas have been linked with Audi as potential choices for their 2026 line-up.

Nonetheless, the 2025 driver market is going to be chaotic with many drivers looking for new contracts this season. So, Ocon and Gasly may want to cash in on any good suitable opportunities they find better than staying at Alpine.

The post Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly Rumored To Be Looking a Way out of Alpine After the Team’s Poor Performance appeared first on The SportsRush.