Alpine’s Jack Doohan and Pierre Gasly are hoping to hit the ground running in Miami GP

Alpine broke through with their first points of the 2024 Formula 1 season at the Miami Grand Prix, as Esteban Ocon’s tenth-place finish opened the team’s account.

Thankfully, Alpine returns to Miami for this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix already on the scoreboard, having already banked six points on the year. Still, drivers Pierre Gasly and Jack Doohan are looking for more in their return to South Beach.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back racing at the Miami Grand Prix this week. After retiring on Lap 1 following the incident with Yuki [Tsunoda] in Jeddah last time out, I’m determined to make sure we can perform well this weekend,” said Gasly in the team’s media preview. “Overall, the triple-header was challenging, however, we were able to show competitive pace, particularly in Bahrain.

“Now heading Stateside, we have to build on those positives and aim to continually come away with a reward and chase some of our rivals down. Miami will be the second Sprint weekend of the year, which means we will need to hit the ground running as usual with the Sprint Shootout on Friday afternoon.”

Gasly paid tribute to the atmosphere in Miami, but noted that the weather — and the schedule — will pose challenges.

“The whole circuit is one of the coolest of the year, going around the Hard Rock Stadium and the paddock being on the NFL pitch is pretty cool. The track is exciting and the two long straights allow for some good overtaking opportunities,” added Gasly. “I’ve enjoyed a lot of good racing there and last year we were very close to the points in both races. This weekend is going to be very hot and humid, and our goal is to optimize the car in the hot conditions and ensure we can be in the mix for points in the Sprint and the Grand Prix.”

On the other side of the garage Doohan is “excited” to head to Miami, and put what he learned over the triple-header to the test.

“I am excited to head out to Miami this week for another Sprint weekend, the second of the season. The triple-header was tough at times but had plenty of learnings and lots to debrief from,” said Doohan. “We’ve definitely made some steps forward from the beginning of the year and we just need to build on that each time we are on track. It was nice to have a week to rest and reset. I spent some time working with the team at the factory and on the simulator to prepare for Miami.

Doohan also acknowledged the atmosphere, as well as one of his favorite memories from last year’s race.

“The circuit is a particularly special one with its location at an NFL stadium and the American fans always bring a great atmosphere to the race weekend,” continued Doohan. “I have experienced the energy before and I have cool memories from last year when I caught a pass from Patrick Mahomes!”

While this might be Doohan’s first Miami Grand Prix as a full-time driver, he has experience racing in Florida. As he told me ahead of last year’s race, his first international win came in the state.

“My first international win was in Palm Beach, Florida,” said Doohan to me last year. “I did the Florida Winter Series and I raced following a couple of weeks later at Homestead here in Miami, and also in Ocala. So that was back when I was 12 years old. So quite a long time ago. Very early memories and a lot of family, friends from those karting days that I’ve kept in contact with, and also some friends from Australia actually moved over here.”

“Now I am definitely very excited to experience it as a full-time driver and take on the Sprint weekend where it is especially important to be on it right away,” said Doohan in the team’s media preview. “We will aim to set ourselves up well to start both the Sprint Race and Grand Prix in the best position possible to fight for points.”

SB Nation will be on the ground for the entire Miami Grand Prix, so check our story stream all week long for full coverage!