Alpine F1’s Esteban Ocon shares his elation and optimism as the team secures its first Q2 of the year, showcasing perseverance and improvement.
Esteban Ocon did not hide his joy upon hearing over the radio that he had made it through Q1. This marks the first time Alpine F1 has reached Q2 this year, and the French driver is pleased to see a glimmer of hope.
“It shows that we never give up, whether it’s for a 15th place or at the front, we must always progress,” Ocon told Canal+. “That’s what we did, we managed to make it to Q2. It’s not exactly a relief, but it’s a significant progress and it’s rewarding to see that our efforts are bearing fruit.”
“We were able to maximize the potential of the car, which today was at its best this season. I was happy with the balance, we know we need more performance to get into Q3, and it was evident in Q2 where I couldn’t improve.”
“The others are faster than us, but we did a good lap today and managed to be ahead of some. We saw last year that there could be retirements, we were on the wrong side of that, but if we finish, we’ll see what we can hope for.”
Pierre Gasly qualified 17th but crossed the pit lane line on exit, prompting an investigation. There was concern for the Alpine driver about moving back two positions for the race, but the Frenchman received only a reprimand. However, this does not alleviate the driver’s frustration elsewhere.
“On the last lap, when it mattered, I couldn’t downshift in turns 1 and 6. This issue cost us having both cars in Q2, which would have been nice. But we’ll need to maximize what we have,” Gasly said.
“All weekend, we’ve been more comfortable on the medium tires, so for the race, we know it should be somewhat in our favor. We’ll see where we start and how we can solve this problem.”
For Bruno Famin, the director, “both drivers did their utmost today to extract everything from the car. We have more difficulties with the soft tires and must continue to understand our overall package to maximize our performance. We expect to show a better pace tomorrow in the race with the harder compounds. It seems that degradation is high on this circuit, and strategy will be key. We will give our all and look to capitalize on any opportunities that may arise to achieve a good team result.”
Alpine F1’s Breakthrough to Q2 Ocon’s Joy and Hope. Alpine F1’s Breakthrough to Q2 Ocon’s Joy and Hope
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