Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly qualified in the 19th and 20th positions respectively for the season opener at Bahrain GP. Ocon received assistance from reigning world champions Red Bull during the first session of qualifying.
In the first session of qualifying at the season opener, Ocon topped the Q1 session among the other 15 drivers moving on to the second session. However, both Alpine drivers failed to score a lap time good enough to keep them just above the elimination zone from the session. Eventually, another driver took pole for Saturday’s race.
As a result, Ocon would begin in the 19th position and Gasly would begin the race from the last position. Gasly also qualified in the 20th position for the 2023 session of Bahrain GP, but finished in the 9th position in the race. The developments that Enstone brings to the challenger for tomorrow’s main race will determine their performance.
During the parc Ferme weighing for the eliminated cars from Q1, Esteban Ocon was the last driver to move on to weighing the chassis. Two Red Bull employees were present to help cool the driver’s brakes during the weighing. Despite the assistance, Ocon failed to move out of the elimination zone from Q1.
Due to the poor qualifying pace of the Alpine drivers, they will need to work extra hard to score some points in the main race. Ocon and Gasly will occupy the last row of the grid at the race start, putting extra pressure on the crew. The Alpine crew will have to ensure maximum efficiency during pit stops and race strategies.
Gasly began the 2023 Bahrain GP from the 20th position as well, but managed to score points in the race by finishing in the 9th position. Both drivers have been consistently working towards scoring better points for the 2024 campaign for Enstone. They will try to maximize results for the race and hope to score some points at the season opener in Bahrain.
Apart from Alpine, both the Kick Sauber drivers were also eliminated from Q1, along with the Williams driver. Logan Sargeant was also eliminated from the session and will begin the race from the 18th position tomorrow. Max Verstappen has been showcasing great pace for the qualifying session and is likely to be the favorite for winning the race.