Esteban Ocon is followed by his Alpine teammate, Pierre Gasly.
With the switcheroo not going to plan for Alpine in Canada, the team explained that Esteban Ocon – much to his frustration – was not allowed to re-pass Pierre Gasly because of a marauding Nico Hulkenberg.
In the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix, Alpine asked Ocon to yield to team-mate Gasly, to allow him a chance at challenging the RB of Daniel Ricciardo ahead in P8.
Nico Hulkenberg meant Alpine could not reverse driver switch
Ocon initially refused the request, responding with a “forget it.” However, he eventually complied by the second-to-last lap, while Gasly was unable to overtake Ricciardo for eighth place.
Alpine’s best score of the season was achieved with three points, as Gasly finished in P9 and Ocon in P10. However, Ocon voiced his discontent after the race, expressing frustration with the team’s decision to not reverse the positions. He believed he fulfilled his role as a team player, but felt let down by the team’s choice.
Ocon expressed to the media after the race that he believes he fulfilled his responsibilities for the day, but he doubts that the rest of the team did their share of the job.
I have consistently been a team player, consistently respecting and following instructions. This was once again demonstrated today.
However, the kind-hearted individual doesn’t consistently achieve success in Formula 1, and this has been greatly troubling me.
Nevertheless, Alpine has now provided further explanation stating that the close presence of Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg, who was eagerly aiming to snatch that point for P10, prevented them from exchanging their drivers’ positions.
In addition, the team disclosed that Ocon was dealing with a possible power unit problem, which played a part in their decision to allow Gasly to pass.
According to an Alpine representative, during Lap 68, Esteban received instructions to allow Pierre to pass him so that Pierre could have an opportunity to challenge Ricciardo for the 8th position.
Esteban’s decreasing performance due to the suspected PU issue led the team to have confidence in Pierre’s ability to challenge Ricciardo, especially considering that Ricciardo did not have DRS.
At the midpoint of Lap 69, Esteban allowed Pierre to pass him at Turn 8. However, at this moment, it was already too late as Ricciardo had built a significant lead, making it impossible for Pierre to catch up and exert pressure. Moreover, with Hulkenberg posing a threat from behind, it was deemed too risky to exchange their positions again.
“The crucial aspect is that the team successfully attained the significant double points.”
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Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 World Champion and pundit for Sky F1, expressed doubts about Ocon’s claim of prioritizing the team. Villeneuve suggested that Ocon allowed Gasly to overtake him only when he realized it was too late for his teammate to surpass Ricciardo.
Villeneuve expressed his disappointment, stating, “It was evident from his comments that he claimed to be a team player, allowing the other driver to pass. However, he strategically delayed the move until it was too late for Gasly to counterattack.”
However, he allowed him to pass in order to claim, “I demonstrated teamwork.” Thus, a significant amount of contemplation was involved in his decision-making.
At the conclusion of the F1 2024 season, Ocon will bid farewell to Alpine.
Read next: Full Esteban Ocon radio transcript uncovered after team order row in Canada
