Alpine is eagerly looking forward to the forthcoming race in Japan, aiming to kick-start a positive trend that will lift the renowned Renault-linked team from the bottom ranks of the 2024 season.
Following their shock lacklustre performance in Bahrain and Jeddah, the French pair, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, experienced a glimpse of hope in Melbourne, although minor issues ultimately marred their prospects.
"It's frustrating," Ocon expressed to Canal Plus, "because I was in front of Magnussen, I was fighting with Albon, we were in the fight for the last points."
"But there will be new features on the car in Japan," he disclosed, hinting at upcoming enhancements for the next grand prix at the iconic Suzuka circuit.
"We will have to see how much this brings us in performance."
Gasly, on his part, described his Melbourne setbacks as "anecdotal", suggesting that the team's path to securing points consistently is still fraught with challenges.
"We have to improve," he stated, "We are still far from the performance we need to get points."
Together with Williams and Sauber, Alpine finds itself in the challenging position of not having secured any points at all in the first three races of the 2024 season.
"I hope the new parts will bring us closer to the cars in front," Gasly hoped. "We know what to focus on, we try to do the best possible with what we have and that's what we have done so far."
"What we are missing is very clear," he continued. "There is no specific element - we must improve absolutely everything."
"But the whole team is working on it - a plan has been put in place. But we have to be realistic. It takes time. We must not hide that, but I have confidence in the team to make the right choices."
