Esteban Ocon’s commendable climb to 11th at the Saudi GP highlights his skill and Alpine F1’s strategy, despite the car’s pace.
Esteban Ocon praised his 13th-place finish for Alpine F1 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, even managing to advance to 11th position during the race. The French driver considers this a remarkable achievement, given the pace of his car.
“We delivered a solid race,” Ocon told Canal+. “We maximized our potential, and then some, because we shouldn’t have found ourselves in 11th place given our performance.”
“We navigated through the chaos successfully, with Magnussen trying to hold us back, and it was a good race from that perspective. However, it wasn’t enough to score points, and we’ll continue seeking performance improvements.”
When asked about upcoming developments, Ocon emphasized, echoing Pierre Gasly’s comments from the day before, that patience will be necessary over several races, and the next race will be just as challenging. However, he pledged to double down on efforts to progress as much as possible.
“Patience is required, for sure. We’re working on it, wanting to bring solutions. I’ll be at the factory this week to seek answers and directions for the team. We’re maximizing everything we can at the moment and appreciate everyone’s support; it’s heartwarming.”
Gasly: My retirement is a disappointment for the entire team
From the formation lap in Jeddah, Pierre Gasly reported a gearbox issue.
Regrettably, from the start of the Saudi Arabian GP, the penalty was clear: a retirement for the Frenchman’s Alpine F1, who was instructed to return to the pits.
“I lost sixth gear right from the formation lap. It’s definitely not our weekend. We found some damage on the car after qualifying, which might be related,” Gasly explained.
“It’s a weekend to forget because we’re unable to race today. I’m disappointed, mostly for the team because it’s a challenging time and everyone is trying their best in this situation, with a lot of energy and effort.”
“It’s the nature of motorsport; these things can happen. We need to analyze what went wrong to prevent it from happening again. It’s unfortunate it happened here, as there’s always a lot happening; it’s good to be there at the end in case something happens. But that won’t be the case.”
Alpine Saudi GP F1 2024. Alpine Saudi GP F1 2024
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