Having started as good friends since their childhood, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have become fierce rivals despite being on the same team. The latest example of their enmity came in Monaco when Ocon tried to get a pass on Gasly despite there being no room. Given the same, Alpine has now decided to enforce a ‘Non-Aggression Pact’ between the two drivers.
Bruno Famin was both furious and frustrated with Ocon‘s actions, especially given there was hardly anything to gain from making the pass. Following the Monaco GP weekend, there were rumors of Alpine potentially benching the French driver for the Canadian GP. However, Motorsport-Total understands that this won’t be the case. Instead, a non-aggression pact will be declared between the two.
| Alpine could enforce a “non-aggression pact” between Ocon and Gasly, according to @MST_Formel1.
Ocon will not be dropped for Canada, but Alpine will prevent further incidents.
— formularacers (@formularacers_) May 29, 2024
Should the pact come into play, Alpine could stand to either gain big or lose big. Amid continued struggles, maintaining consistency in the driver lineup could go a long way in solving Alpine’s problems.
Ocon and Gasly have had a history of friendship and enemity ever since they started competing with each other in karting. Once they had few incidents on track, their friendly bond just withered away as the years went by.
Both have acknowledged their longstanding rivalry when they became teammates at Alpine in 2023. Given all of this history, a harmonious relationship between them would check one worry off the list for the Enstone-based team.
On the other hand, the rivalry between the drivers could grow further, taking the shape of something much more serious. Ayrton Senna v Alain Prost, Lewis Hamilton v Nico Rosberg, and Nigel Mansell v Nelson Piquet are just some of the most iconic teammate rivalries in F1. And should Alpine not do something about it soon, their drivers could also make the list.
Time for Alpine to be creative in their approach
To dissolve the increasingly furious intra-team rivalry, Alpine needs to take a step back and look for inspiration. Over the years, there have been several rivalries in F1 that need a team’s utmost attention. In that case, the concerned teams came up with unique approaches to nip their issues in the bud.
When the partnership of Mark Webber and Sebastian started heating up, Christian Horner came up with an ingenious plan. He took both drivers to the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital for a visit.
Here, he made the drivers realize what the real problems were. From there on out, things toned down between Vettel and Webber, making for a harmonious partnership.
Seeing the increasing heat between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, Toto Wolff decided on a unique solution. He made the drivers pay for each repair job, following their crashes. In the end, Rosberg had to foot a “painful” bill of over $450,000.
