“It’s been a very tough day for the team, we didn’t perform today, and others scored heavily,” admitted team boss Ayao Komatsu. “Operationally, we didn’t maximise everything here so that’s something we need to take home and review.
“A slight positive was that Ollie’s pace on inters – and part of the race with Nico – was actually better than what we thought we could achieve, so that’s a small positive that we can improve the performance of the intermediates.
“We have to look ahead for the last three races; we have decent pace in the dry, so we need to reset and refocus. We need to get the best out of the car and everyone for the next three.”
In what has become a fierce battle for that top six spot, Alpine now lead the way on 49 points, thanks to Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing second and third at Interlagos, from Haas on 46 and RB on 44.