Why Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly’s Podium Finish in Brazil Was No Fluke

Interlagos rarely disappoints. The iconic circuit in Sao Paulo has hosted many memorable races over the years, with 2024 being somewhere close to the top of the list. One of the headline stories of the weekend was Alpine’s resurgence. Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly ended the afternoon spraying champagne on the podium — something no one had on their bingo card.

But was it really that surprising? Alpine was ninth in the Constructors’ championship heading into the weekend. So from that perspective, maybe it was. However, their pace looked to be strong all weekend, which suggested that they were always in the running for a good race.

Ocon qualified in fourth for the Grand Prix, while Gasly ended up in 14th after a red flag knocked him out of Q2 — the same flag that also ended Max Verstappen’s session. Still, both were confident of achieving a good points finish for the team.

Continuing our weekend celebrations back at base pic.twitter.com/N0QEN1K5mj

— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) November 6, 2024

In the race, Ocon and Gasly’s high grid positions were no fluke. Gasly had the pace to make several overtakes, and Alpine’s strategic gamble to stay out without pitting for tires paid off brilliantly when a red flag was shown.

Ocon led the race with Gasly in P3 ahead of the restart, and Verstappen sandwiched between them in second place. The Dutchman — on another level that day — overtook Ocon effortlessly, though this was the only setback for the Alpine driver.

Alpine’s comfortable podium

From there, both Ocon and Gasly looked fast and steady, ultimately bringing the cars home in second and third, with Ocon leading the way. So, not only were the Alpine strategists at the top of their game in Brazil, but the car was also in top-notch form, which allowed them to pull this off.

Per The Race, the arrival of engineer David Sanchez midway into the season significantly contributed to this double podium — a good sign for the team heading into 2025.

The French team earned 33 points in one go, which took them to P6 in the Championship standings, allowing for a significant financial boost in their overall earnings at the end of the season, provided they hold on, or maybe add more points to their haul.