Alpine chief: 'Aston Martin has surprised everyone'

Alpine sporting director Alan Permane has stated that Aston Martin's tremendous progression has surprised everyone. In addition, the Alpine chief told Motorsport.com that the French team is not where they want to be in terms of car speed.

Last season, Aston Martin finished seventh in the championship, Alpine finished fourth and had 118 points more than the British team. Last winter, Fernando Alonso went from the French team to Aston Martin, while Otmar Szafnauer went the opposite way in early 2022. 

Alpine not satisfied with own speed

Currently, Alpine seems to be the fifth team in Formula 1, behind Red Bull Racing, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Ferrari. However, the French team's goal this season was precisely to get closer to the top three.

"It’s not satisfying that we’re not where we want to be in terms of pace. Our goal was to get closer to third. That is not the case at the moment. Our target was to be closer to third place. That isn’t the case at the moment. Actually, it may be, because if you say Mercedes is the third-quickest team, maybe we’re closer to them than we were last year."

Alpine over surprise Aston Martin

Aston Martin has been the big surprise this season. After finishing seventh in the championship last year, the team is now, certainly in the race, the second fastest team. The team scored a podium in both races, twice Alonso finished third. Alpine also did not expect the British team's extraordinary jump. "It’s not where we want to be, and I think Aston have caught everyone by surprise by the jump they’ve made," said the sporting director.