Esteban Ocon, member of the Alpine F1 team, denied that the difficulties faced by the team this Formula 1 season are similar to his previous experience with the Manor team as a rookie. Ocon made his Formula 1 debut in 2016 with Manor, a now-defunct team associated with Mercedes. Manor faced financial difficulties and couldn’t update their car, resulting in poor performance and no points for Ocon. In contrast, Alpine has faced challenges this season with a new car concept, but Ocon believes there is hope for improvement as they are closer to the back of the grid compared to Manor’s situation in 2016.
Ocon acknowledges that the tight field and potential for improvements give him “optimism” that Alpine’s current tough situation won’t persist in the foreseeable future.
“We know we’re not in the desired position, so we must progress and we are obliged to do so,” he stated.
“In my time at Manor, I knew we would be at the back of the grid. We wouldn’t receive updates and that was the end.
“It’s a completely different outlook. As you mentioned, it’s a matter of tenths, and you’re right there.”
Alpine has admitted that their latest car is struggling with traction issues, but Ocon is hopeful for a more promising performance in Saudi Arabia, especially considering that the problem was exacerbated in Bahrain.
“I believe that, from Bahrain, we essentially maximized what we had available,” he evaluated. “We need to assess precisely where we stand.
“The car had a better performance here last year compared to Bahrain. We had more speed. I remember qualifying in sixth place here last year. Of course, I’m not going to claim I will qualify in sixth place this year, but we aspire to be a bit closer to the pack than we were in Bahrain.
“We hope to extract a little more. That is the goal. Will we achieve it? We don’t know, but that is what we strive for.”
Regarding the Jeddah circuit being less demanding on traction, Ocon commented: “That is a valid point. Let’s see how this unfolds. It’s a track that I really like.
“At some point in 2021, I was on pole position, which was a cool achievement. I came close to reaching the podium. I consistently finished in the points.
“I am looking forward to driving on this track and having fun. First and foremost, that is why we are here. I am excited to see what we can achieve.”
