Pierre Gasly at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix

Pierre Gasly's performance at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix saw him maintain his starting position relative to his teammate, but the Alpine A524 lacked the pace to contend for points at Suzuka. Starting from 17th on the grid, the French driver completed 52 laps, ultimately crossing the line in 16th position, classified as "+1 Lap" behind the race winner. His teammate, Esteban Ocon, who started two positions ahead in 15th, finished just one place higher in 15th, also a lap down. This close proximity in results, as seen in other races like [Esteban Ocon at the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix](/results/2021-interlagos-esteban-ocon), underscored the current performance envelope of the Alpine chassis. Gasly's fastest lap of the race, a 1:36.642, was recorded on lap 48, ranking 16th overall, indicating a consistent, albeit midfield, pace throughout the event.

The race at Suzuka, a circuit renowned for its technical demands, highlighted the ongoing challenges for Alpine in the 2024 [Formula 1 — official site](https://www.formula1.com/en) season. While Gasly navigated the 53-lap event without incident, unlike the early retirements of Daniel Ricciardo and Alexander Albon due to collision, the car's inherent pace kept him outside the points-scoring positions. For context, drivers like [Yuki Tsunoda at the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix](/results/2021-interlagos-yuki-tsunoda) have demonstrated how crucial every tenth of a second is in the midfield battle. The data from the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, available through platforms like [Jolpica/Ergast — 2026 season data](https://api.jolpi.ca/ergast/f1/2026.json), confirms Gasly's 0 points for the weekend. The focus for the Alpine team, a constructor with a significant history in [Wikipedia: Formula One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One), will undoubtedly be on extracting more performance to climb the competitive order in upcoming rounds. The fight for midfield positions often sees tight margins, a reality that [Lance Stroll at the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix](/results/2021-interlagos-lance-stroll) also experienced.