Esteban Ocon was unhappy as he crossed the line in Canada, having been issued team orders by Alpine in the final laps. He was told to make way for teammate Pierre Gasly – after climbing from last on the grid into the points. Ocon believes the team’s justification for ordering the swap is unsatisfactory.
Once again, there is drama at Alpine. The French outfit seems incapable of keeping itself out of news headlines. Despite securing points with both drivers, there will be criticism of the Enstone team’s race management.
With only a few laps to go, the Alpine duo were running 9th and 10th. Ricciardo was comfortably ahead in P8, with neither A524 likely to catch the Australian.
Despite this, Alpine ordered Ocon to let his teammate pass – rationalising the decision by stating it was an attempt to fight for eighth.
OCON: I WAS “TOO NICE” BY PLAYING THE TEAM GAME
Unsurprisingly, this logic did not check out for Esteban Ocon:
“Not the happiest, to be honest. Obviously, we started last and got into the points with both cars, which is amazing for the team.
“But I did my part of the job, being a team player – being a nice guy. Too nice, I am.
“We had to let Pierre go at the end, which I’ve done. I have always followed the instructions I was given.
“But for no reason, really. We were not going to catch Daniel – that was the reason for the call. And obviously, I’m losing a point there.
“Being too nice is not the right attitude to have in Formula 1. But I showed that I’m a team player, and that’s what matters.”
This is not the first time that Alpine have encountered issues with race management. With 15 rounds left this year, it is difficult to imagine scenarios like this won’t happen again.
For both Ocon and the team, there is surely plenty of eagerness to reach the end of 2024 and end this souring relationship.
