Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon’s fierce rivalry sparked things at Alpine in the 2022 F1 season. A season that otherwise was an average one for the French team, but the pair’s never giving up the fight against each other made a lot of talking points. And with his recent comment, it seems like Ocon is in no mood to leave the bond behind.
Alonso joined the French team after coming back from his retirement. Pairing up with Ocon, the Spanish driver spent 2 years at Alpine before joining Aston Martin in 2023. In these two years, the duo wasn’t ready to leave each other an inch on the grid.
Ocon, who beat Alonso last year, has recently pulled another dig on the Spaniard. Admittedly, the duo going against each other has been a common sight, and once the 26-year-old even called it ‘satisfactory’ to beat the 41-year-old in the same machinery.
The Frenchman beat the Spanish driver last year by 11 points as he went on to finish in P8 with 92 points in the driver’s championship, compared to Alonso’s 81 points. Now, despite the veteran performing at his very best, Ocon believes nothing has changed.
Esteban Ocon’s subtle dig at Fernando Alonso
Ocon, being the former teammate, has been nowhere near Alonso in the 2023 F1 championship. However, the French international is unwilling to credit the Spaniard for this.
The 26-year-old believes it isn’t the driver, but the car that set him where Alonso is. Talking about this, Ocon stated in a report published by Marca, ”Fernando is not better than last season.”
“He is Just as strong as before, but he has a better car this year,” further asserted the Alpine star driver. The former Ferrari star is currently breathing down Sergio Perez’s neck as he is just nine points behind for P2.
Comparatively, the Alpine driver is in P9 with 29 points. However, Esteban Ocon made sure he carries forward the tradition of being the best driver in the team as he leads Pierre Gasly by 14 points.
Ocon seeks motivation from Aston Martin
The rise of Aston Martin has been astonishing in 2023. After finishing last season in P7 with 55 points, the Green team is currently in contention for P2 with Mercedes.
Whereas Alpine has come down to P5 from P4 last year. Despite no significant improvements at Enstone, Ocon believes the team has something to learn from the Silverstone brigade.
Speaking on it, Ocon said the immense improvement by Aston Martin “gives us motivation to see how quickly a midfield team can become a top team.”
All in all, Alpine is planning on major upgrades after a recent cash injection by Ryan Reynolds and Co. As things stand, they need to save themselves from their only midfield competitor McLaren, who are bringing new upgrades at Austrian GP.
