Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer has confirmed a "risk" will be taken with its upgrade package at the Austrian Grand Prix. F1 returns to Europe next weekend at the Red Bull Ring with teams fully in the developmental swing now that the early races have been completed. The team's form has taken a sharp upturn since the scathing public criticism levelled by CEO Laurent Rossi - who branded the team "amateurish" after a slow start to the season, with Esteban Ocon picking up a podium in the Monaco Grand Prix with third. After eight races of 2023, Alpine are fifth in the Constructors' firmly best of the rest behind Red Bull, Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari, with Szafnauer keen for the team to continue to push on their upgrade path.
'We'll take that risk'
"We have something in the pipeline, some more coming in Austria at the next race, a new front wing," Szafnauer confirmed to media including RacingNews365. "Our strategy is to continuously bring upgrades when we find them and not wait for a big package. "So that's what we are doing and then you'll see even further upgrades in a few more races." The Austrian Grand Prix offers the second Sprint event of the season after Azerbaijan, reducing the amount of practice time available to teams, with parc ferme conditions applying after opening practice session. This has dissuaded competitors from adding upgrades in the past two years but Szafnauer insisted: "We'll take that risk."
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