Alpine have suffered a very difficult season in Formula 1 which has been a significant step backwards from 2023.
The French team started as backmarkers and locked out the back row of the grid at the season opener in Bahrain.
Their car was slightly overweight, which cost them more time than their rivals’ cars as they struggled to get down to the weight limit. They also suffered from a power deficit, but a move to Mercedes engines for Alpine in 2026 may resolve this issue.
Alpine didn’t score a point in the opening five rounds before eventually breaking into the top 10 at the Miami Grand Prix in May.
Oliver Oakes joined the team in August, as Alpine struggled to score consistently. He gave the outfit a much-needed boost of enthusiasm.
He explained to the F1: Beyond The Grid podcast that despite enjoying being Alpine team principal, there is one downside in particular.
Oliver Oakes would not ‘choose to do’ media duties as Alpine team princiapal
Alpine have improved over the season and began to break into the top 10 more consistently over the summer.
They scored points at four races in a row, including double-point-scoring finishes at consecutive races in Canada and the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
This was a significant step which built up to a double podium last time out at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos after a chaotic race.
Esteban Ocon finished second ahead of his French compatriot Pierre Gasly while Max Verstappen took a dominant win and a step closer to his fourth title.
READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher provides ‘really surprising’ update on Alpine’s Formula 1 future after recent successes
Oakes explained he doesn’t enjoy the added media duties of being involved in Formula 1 rather than the junior categories.
He said: “It wouldn’t be something that I would particularly choose to do. I’d much rather hang with the mechanics or the engineers than being the face of the team.
“But that obviously comes with the job, I’d say. That was one thing that obviously I should know that, because you follow F1 and you watch it.
“But I was thinking the other day how much time all of that does take from really getting down into the stuff you want to be doing.”
Alpine may struggle to hold onto sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship
Alpine’s excellent double podium finish at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix allowed the team to move into sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
With three rounds to go, they are now three points ahead of their nearest rivals, Haas, but the American team has been quicker consistently.
Haas have been in and around the top 10 since the summer break and even climbed as high as sixth place prior to the summer shutdown in Austria and at the British Grand Prix.
They have been very quick in a straight line at points, which could help them in Las Vegas amongst the cold temperatures of Nevada.
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