Esteban Ocon returned to his second place at Interlagos this Thursday. The Alpine F1 driver admits that it was unexpected to see the team achieve a double podium, but that it brought a moral boost to the troops at Enstone and Viry.
“It was a fun race, no doubt. An unexpected race, for sure” Ocon said. “Looking at our pace in the dry, it’s not at all what we expected. But when the rain came, it definitely opened up opportunities.”
“Yes, I felt good in those conditions. It reminded me a bit of 2016, you know, when I was fighting for a point with Manor. And yes, we were leading the race for a while, which was good and yes, I think it was very nice because it spiced up our end of the season.
“Now we can fight with the other teams in the constructors' championship. So it will be a big fight, which is much more entertaining for us. And yes, it brings fun and joy for all the people around the 'factory.”
The Frenchman, however, remains cautious about the chances of a good result for his team in Las Vegas this weekend: “I think we have to keep our feet on the ground. That's going to be very important. I don't think we can fight for podiums and almost victories like in Brazil.”
“But last year we finished in fourth place, which was also very good. This year will be much more difficult with the pace of the car we have in the dry. So, yes, we have to do our best. better, seize every opportunity that presents itself, and we hope that they will be positive for us.”
Ocon also remains cautious about Alpine's chances of defending its sixth place: “I can only speak for myself. I'm not very confident, to be honest, at the moment. If you look at our pace in the dry, we've improved recently, thanks to the developments made to the car.”
“She has improved, but like I said she can completely swing from one side to the other, with a decent result, and these races are usually where the opportunities present themselves. So we have to be in able to take advantage if something happens to be able to score points and close the season that way.”
After several good qualifications and a podium at Interlagos, Pierre Gasly hopes that Alpine will be able to aim for the first half of the rankings: “The minimum no, but that is clearly the objective. Since we brought the developments to Austin, we have been able to fight for Q3 and for the points.”
“We had this incredible result in Brazil in special conditions, but I am more optimistic about being in the fight, and that is important for us because we are sixth in the constructors' championship and we are fighting with AlphaTauri ( sic) and Haas.”
“We know that Vegas is a difficult weekend for several reasons. We are not used to driving in such cold conditions. It is a street circuit with the usual challenges on this type of track, and it is only the second time we come last year, I qualified fourth but I had some graining in the race.
The Frenchman is the only driver on the field not to have damaged his car throughout the season, and he is delighted: “The goal is to stay like this until the end of the season.”
“Yes, it's true! I haven't damaged anything throughout the season. It's a great statistic, and it's part of the budget cap so it makes a difference. It's a great personal goal for the end of season !”
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