Following a curious series of practice sessions in Bahrain, things returned to the norm with Max Verstappen and Red Bull leading the charts and qualifying for the race in P1. While there was no real surprise during the Qualifying sessions, an interesting development occurred after one of them. X user ‘Alerta F1‘ posted a photo showing Red Bull mechanics lent a helping hand to Alpine.
After their Q1 exit, Alpine had to go to the weighbridge for random testing, with Esteban Ocon in the car. Meanwhile, two Red Bull engineers came over to the weighbridge to help Alpine out. They appeared to help cool down the Alpine car using fans that cool down their own challengers. While the move is fairly unusual in the F1 realm, it represents the presence of sportsman-like conduct in the sport.
The start of the 2024 season hasn’t been anything to write home about for Alpine. The drivers of the Enstone-based team failed to find any pace in their car and failed to make it past Q1. While Ocon qualified in P19, Pierre Gasly qualified for the race in P20.
Meanwhile, Red Bull, aided by Max Verstappen, once again led the grid. They expelled any fears that arose in the practice sessions. Sergio Perez, too, also had a decent outing and will start the Bahrain GP from P5 on the grid. Given the stark difference in their performances, it is possible the defending champions felt an air of sympathy for Alpine, which led to their mechanics helping their Alpine counterparts.
Fans react to Red Bull mechanics helping Alpine out
One team’s mechanics going over to help out another team is an unusual sight in F1. Given the same, fans quickly took notice of the same and jumped on the social media site ‘X’ to have their say on the matter.
Some fans claimed the RB20 was so good that Red Bull mechanics were off doing “charity work.”
Meanwhile, one fan pointed out the hilarity they found in the situation.
While it was a great gesture from the Austrian outfit, no one expects them to be ‘Mr. Nice Guy’ once the racing begins on Saturday. After dominating the 2023 season, winning 21 races, the Milton-Keynes-based team will be looking for more of the same.
