Fans Know Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri Are ‘Giggling’ As News of Alpine Downfall Breaks

Alpine’s 2024 pre-season testing was underwhelming to say the least. The team did not show any spark whatsoever, and gave signs of an ominous season ahead. Looking at the downfall that potentially awaits the French team, fans are sure that Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri are letting out a laugh.

Alonso returned to F1 with Alpine in 2021, but decided to leave the squad because of their inconsistent performance and reliability problems in 2023. They announced Piastri as a replacement, but the Aussie revealed that he wouldn’t be driving for them, leading to a humiliating saga for the outfit. Alonso left for Aston Martin, and Piastri left for McLaren and both these teams are in a much better place than Alpine at the moment.

Experts at AMuS feel that the A524, Alpine’s car for 2024, will be at the back of the grid. Considering the fact that Alonso and Piastri left because of internal problems, they will be relieved at the very least.

 

The car appears to have issues with aerodynamics, weight, and will struggle with qualifying-pace. Moreover, top engineers at the Enstone-based squad are looking to move to a team that isn’t plagued by as many internal problems as Alpine.

Drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon ranked 16th and 17th in the testing in Bahrain. The higher-ups are disappointed, and it looks like they are in for a long hard season ahead. Gasly, however, urges everyone to be patient. He told Motorsport that it will take some time before they unlock their true performance.

For fans on social media, however, it is the perfect opportunity to revisit theories surrounding Alonso and Piastri’s departure.

Fans react to Alpine’s downfall by bringing Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri in the banter

Alpine has been on the cusp of establishing itself as a force in the midfield for several seasons now. Every season, however, they seem to fall short. Fans feel that both Piastri and Alonso made the right choice in leaving the team given its issues with reliability and more recently, aerodynamics. Users on X went as far as stating that somewhere, the two drivers are giggling.

Alpine went for an all-French line-up when they appointed Gasly and Ocon in 2023, and their pairing was deemed balanced. In terms of performance, the drivers are putting in the best they can. But the underwhelming mechanical package made things difficult for them in 2023, and will likely continue to do so.

Other supporters asserted that the drivers had appropriately left the team given they were both completely aware of the Alpine’s vision.

However, as Gasly said, they have to be patient. Pre-season is often not a true reflection of a car’s true pace. It is true that the signs aren’t good, but they can develop well this season, just like McLaren did in 2023.