Sanchez signing shows Alpine is serious about F1 turnaround

Ocon and team-mate Pierre Gasly endured a torrid start to the 2024 season with Alpine, which is one of three teams yet to score points.

The Bruno Famin-led outfit fast-tracked a new floor to China, which both drivers will now use in Miami, while it has also made efforts to bring the weight of its A524 down.

Off the track, Famin has recruited senior engineer Sanchez as the Enstone-based squad’s overarching technical director, with the Frenchman recently having been released from a short-lived McLaren stint.

Sanchez will oversee the team’s new technical structure with three more specialised technical directors reporting to him.

With both of its drivers being out of contract at the end of the year, Ocon said Sanchez’s capture was an important sign that Alpine is serious about turning around its fortunes as he weighs up his future.

“Things are changing,” Ocon replied when Autosport asked him about how he is judging the progress the team has been making in its factory.

“You saw the announcement of David Sanchez in the team. The team is making an effort to change things and the team is not happy with the situation overall of being where we are.

“We should be progressing and not going backwards, like it has been the case in this year. Bruno, all the team members, they are competitors and they want to be doing well.

“And, obviously, that is a very strong topic on my side to know that you want to progress towards the front and not just be satisfied with the situation.”

Gasly cautioned that Alpine’s many internal changes will take time to show results, which he said weighed heavy on the team.

“It’s tough sometimes, because I do think the team is improving in many different areas,” he said.

“Ultimately, it doesn’t show on the track and sometimes it’s quite tough for the guys, because everyone’s putting a lot of effort. But at the minute, the car concept that we’ve got is not working.

“The most important thing is how we are able to react. There are a couple of good signings for the team.

“I’m aware that it does take some time. We can’t expect a massive change in a very short space of time.

“But I feel like we’ve got enough data now to really spot what’s working and what’s not, and then it’s a matter of how we tackle it.”