How Alpine’s double podium in Brazil could create massive financial boost

From ninth to sixth on a single Grand Prix Sunday, Alpine’s potential windfall from their double podium in Brazil is a whopping $30 million, or “29.2 million” to be precise according to Flavio Briatore.

Overweight and lacking horsepower, Alpine‘s A524 spent the better part of the early season at the very back of the grid before slowly making gentle progress.

It’s not $30 million, says Alpine executive advisor, it’s…

However, even that was not enough to regularly trouble the scorecard with the team bagging all of 14 points in 20 races.

And then came Brazil.

It’s often been said that rain is the great leveller in Formula 1 and while it could be argued a free pit stop added to that with every one of the top three, including race winner Max Verstappen, gifted a free tyre change when the race was red flagged Franco Colapinto’s crash, they all had to be in the position – and on the track – to benefit.

Verstappen, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly did just that.

Yet to make their mandatory pit stop, they lined up for the restart with Ocon up in P1 ahead of Verstappen and Gasly. The Red Bull driver made short work of Ocon at the restart after which it was a case of staying on the track and protecting the podium.

Ocon and Gasly succeeded in those tasks as they finished 2-3 in what could potentially be a mega-money payout for Alpine.

Scoring 35 points on the day, Alpine shot up from ninth in the Constructors’ Championship to sixth.

If, and it’s a big if given Haas are just three points off the pace and have been the more consistent points-scorers, Alpine hold onto P6 that’s worth an estimated $30 million in the Constructors’ prize money.

According to Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore, it’s actually a few bucks short of that.

“From ninth place to sixth place is not 30 million,” he said with a laugh to Sky Italia. “It’s 29.2 million! It’s the first thing I asked.”

But as Alpine celebrated the success, the Italian admitted the team got lucky on the day – and they may be out of luck in the final three races; Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

“Without taking anything away from an incredible Ocon in the wet and Gasly, who did his job well, we were also lucky,” he added.

“I think we have a car that is better in the wet. Unfortunately, I don’t think the next three races will be wet.

“We saw, with all these young drivers presented as new phenomena, how much experience still counts in Formula 1. In any case, we saw an incredible Grand Prix.”

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However, Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes downplayed talk of luck.

“No, I think obviously, since Austin we’ve had a bit of pace with this upgrade,” he said. “I think credit to everyone really, because the drivers didn’t put a foot wrong on tricky conditions, and also strategy, those calls, everything is a good day. And even the pace in the race.

“I think sweet is the right word. It is a really big result. But I was thinking you’ve got to enjoy the moment, but also be humble because there’s still quite a few races left, isn’t there?

“But I think more for the team as a whole, beginning of the season they got a lot of mudsling at them, I guess you could say or a bit of stick, and I think you can see how much it means to them.”