Oliver Oakes, director of the Alpine team, admitted that a little new tension had emerged between his two drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, during the last qualifying at Interlagos.
Pierre Gasly said to himself ” unhappy “particularly targeting Ocon's on-track role in Q2 at Interlagos.
This Sunday morning in Brazil, Ocon earned the team's best starting position this season, with a fourth place finish in the rain. Gasly, on the other hand, was eliminated in Q2 because… his last fast lap was disrupted by a maneuver by Ocon.
Ocon had thus overtaken Gasly just before the latter could attempt a final flying lap.
The problem arose when both Alpine drivers were at the bottom of the standings after an interruption caused by Carlos Sainz's accident. Gasly, who was following Max Verstappen, was hampered when the Red Bull driver slowed down at Juncao. Ocon, who was behind these two cars, took the opportunity to overtake Verstappen and Gasly. The goal? Have an open air runway.
Except that this maneuver hampered Gasly, who was unable to benefit from another fast lap due to the new interruption following Lance Stroll's accident. Accident which eliminated both Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly from qualifying.
“I think this Q2 in Brazil could have caused tensions. But ultimately, in these situations, there is always more to consider” nevertheless puts Oakes into perspective today.
“Esteban did his job. Max was unhappy, Pierre too, he wasn't just a pilot. In the end he [Ocon] has reached Q3, so for me it's about making sure the drivers know what you're going to tolerate and what you're not going to tolerate. »
Oakes salutes the professionalism of his two drivers: does this mean that he knows how to manage them better than Bruno Famin did?
“I don’t want to take credit, because, in a beautiful way, they’re adults. At the end of the day, they know how to race, they know what's expected of them. »
“They are both brilliant. Maybe it helped that I was new, but they built trust and were amazing. »
“I think from my first race in Holland I was quite direct with them. By that I mean this is a normal attitude whether it's an F4 driver at Hitech or an F1 driver. At the end of the day, we are all human and we need to work as a team. And I just told them: listen, I will never disparage you in the media. You are professionals, you know how to run, you know what is expected of you. »
Bruno Famin had denigrated Ocon in front of the Canal + cameras, following his disagreement on the track with Pierre Gasly in Monaco…
A double podium which shows all the talent of the Alpine F1 drivers
This misunderstanding of qualifications is well forgotten in any case. Because a few hours later in the race, Esteban Ocon like Pierre Gasly produced absolutely masterful performances to sign a totally unexpected double podium which allowed Alpine to climb to sixth place in the constructors' championship.
“They worked hard, without complaining, despite a start to the season where the team was not in its place. They were brilliant in these difficult conditions. They are high-level pilots. »
“I made a joke after Brazil, saying it was nice to see them hug. It's been a long time. »
The attitude of Esteban Ocon, who will leave Alpine at the end of the season, is therefore in no way to blame in this Brazilian bickering for Oakes.
“Esteban might, understandably, be a little unhappy or difficult, but he has been absolutely exceptional. I feel lucky to have them both. »
“They are both brilliant. Maybe it helped that I was new, but they built trust and were amazing. »
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