Alpine are determined to kickstart their 2023 season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after "too many mistakes" in Bahrain. The squad experienced mixed fortunes throughout the event, with Pierre Gasly recovering from P20 on the grid to a P9 finish in his debut appearance for the team, while Esteban Ocon suffered a hat-trick of penalties before eventually retiring from the race. Team boss Otmar Szafnauer admitsn that the French outfit "must keep pushing" in order to move forwards.
Szafnauer: We can all do a better job to improve on mistakes
"We left Bahrain with mixed feelings," Szafnauer commented. "On one side, we were satisfied to come away with points given Pierre raced from the back of the grid to ninth place and his drive required good decisions, a well-executed strategy and strong race pace; all of which we showed. "On the other side, we made too many mistakes across the weekend, and we can all do a better job to improve on those. "I believe Esteban's race was a one-off, a culmination of a string of errors, some on his side, some operationally, and his side of the garage will undoubtedly bounce back in Saudi Arabia. "Right now, we know the A523 has potential. We just have not exploited everything to the maximum yet and there's work ahead of us to achieve that. "It's a long season, we've opened up with points and we must keep pushing as a team."
Gasly: There's so much more to come
Gasly was pleased with his drive through the field in Bahrain, but feels that much more is possible going forwards. "I know there's so much more to come from myself and from the team as we have not reached 100 per cent yet," the Frenchman said. "That is why we also left Bahrain with some disappointment as not everything clicked together and it's important we piece everything together to make sure we extract the maximum performance. "I enjoyed my debut in Alpine colours, the entire team is so talented and motivated to succeed and I'm excited to see what we can achieve when we execute a smoother race weekend." Meanwhile, Ocon – who will become the second-longest tenured driver in Renault's F1 history in Jeddah by making his 63rd race start for the team – hopes to benefit from the track's unique characteristics. "In terms of the racing in Jeddah, we know overtaking is possible, the chance of Safety Cars are high given the nature of the track, so we have to remain ready for all possibilities," he added. "The whole team is ready and motivated for a better weekend to kickstart our season."
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