In recent weeks, the Alpine team has been making a comeback. After a disastrous start to the season, the French racing stable consistently finished in the points from the Monaco Grand Prix onwards. However, during the race weekend in England, things went awry; Pierre Gasly, after a grid penalty of 50(!) places, didn’t get past the formation lap, and Esteban Ocon had to settle for a mediocre sixteenth place.
“We didn’t learn anything,” a defeated Esteban Ocon said after the British GP. “We made wrong decisions all weekend – we did everything wrong. The car wasn’t good, the strategy, everything.” Typical British weather conditions made for a challenging race at Silverstone. Ocon was the first to venture on intermediates, but he had to go back in for slicks soon after. When the wet asphalt later required rain tires, the Frenchman was again in trouble.
“From start to finish it was tough, there’s nothing to learn from this weekend,” reflected Esteban Ocon. “We just need to focus on the next one and leave this weekend behind us.” It’s the first time in five races that Alpine goes home without points. Surprisingly, as a rain race usually offers opportunities for the midfield teams. For instance, Alex Albon drove his Williams to a commendable ninth place.
Ocon doesn’t understand where it went wrong. “I can’t say much about it,” sighed the 27-year-old driver. “When the track was suitable for slicks, we were on the inters, when the track was suitable for inters, we were on the slicks. A failed weekend.” The Frenchman has now dropped to eighteenth place in the championship. While teammate Pierre Gasly has signed a new contract with Alpine, it is already known that Ocon will not continue with the team from Enstone. Haas is a logical next destination for the driver from Évreux, provided he can stay in Formula 1.
