While Fernando Alonso has given his starting signal at Aston Martin, Esteban Ocon is still anchored in 2022. After emphasizing how happy he was to beat him, the Frenchman insists in an interview with L’Equipe how much the Spanish’s words hurt him before the press. One thing is clear: his relationship was not the best and, the last abandonments of the car with the number 14 plus his desire to leave Alpine at the end of this course, things have ended up getting colder and colder. First of all, Ocon kept insisting that his car also had problems. Once again, power over reliability.
“I am disappointed by the comments you made to the press more than what was said internally. We didn’t really have a discussion about any of that,” the pilot admits to the French outlet, who confesses, he preferred the issue to remain “private,” with an explanation “one on one.” However, none of that happened. “The (Alonso) He didn’t do it, it came out in the press,” he recalls hurt. And he forcefully continues: “98% of the work fell on my back and 2% on his. He was overworked. I did all the development of the simulator, the marketing…”.
However, and despite how their relationship as teammates ended, Esteban Ocon thanks him because, alongside a two-time champion like the Asturian, He has learned “many things from him.” In fact, in a chat with Nextgen-Autotalks more in depth about Alonso, who highlights his strength “in strategy, in understanding the race”, as well as being “a driver who is very alert and is very quick mentally”: “I was disappointed, of course, but I respect everything he did on the track, his titles and, above all, his motivation at his age.” But life has taken them on different routes, although for Ocon it is the right thing to do: “It is good that he is going to Aston Martin and that we follow our own path.”
Now the Frenchman remains in command of the team, where he will continue “with the work that I have done this year and that has worked to finish ahead of Alonso in this championship”. But at his side he will have another hard nut to crack. A pilot with ambition with whom, moreover, he has already had his ups and downs in the past. “I think with Pierre (gasily) we can divide ourselves very well in this work. It will help me have more energy for the season and I am sure it will be much better. With two Frenchmen, Alpine hopes to tickle the top three of the World Cup”, he points out with motivation. However, the brand has to address its reliability issues first.