Alpine had a disastrous weekend in Brazil after the drivers, Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon crashed into each other twice during the Sprint race.
The results of the clash were so damaging that neither of the drivers finished in the top 10. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer was not happy with how the rivalry between the two ends of his team’s garages affected the entire team.
Heading into the main race on Sunday, however, the Enstone-based squad saw a far-smoother run as they solidified their P4 lead over McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship.
But this cooperation between both the drivers was a result of threats issued to them by their team’s CEO.
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Alpine issued replacement threats to Alonso and Ocon
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi was not happy with how the drivers behaved during the Brazil GP weekend. Therefore, he used his position to bring his drivers back into a better space.
During the main race in Brazil, the team even asked Ocon to not fight with Alonso during the final laps.
Ahead of the final race of the 2022 season in Abu Dhabi GP, Rossi revealed that in order to ensure cooperation, ultimatums were laid down in front of the drivers.
Rossi said that he reminded them of the fact that there are plenty of other drivers who are longing to race in their place.
“These killer instincts… sometimes it goes a bit too far,” said Rossi.
Tensions between Alpine and Fernando Alonso
Alonso is set to leave the Alpine F1 team at the end of the current season as he signed a multi-year deal with Aston Martin replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel.
Multiple team radios and press conferences have revealed the obvious tension between Alpine and outgoing Alonso. However, Rossi explained that it did not play a role in how the drivers were treated during the race.
He said that the drivers were told that the objective is to ensure the best possible result for the team regardless of the strategies.
