Esteban Ocon crossed the finish line in second position at the end of a great race in Brazil. A driver who is not very popular in the paddock, but who always shows that he seizes the big opportunities. This is a placement that, added to Gasly's third place, could weigh heavily on the future of the French team.
Golden Brazil for Esteban Ocon: a podium worth a season
We don't know what spells hover in the subsoil of the Interlagos circuit. Yet the Brazilian circuit, which develops by twisting on itself, always manages to bring out something special from the race. A place of surprises and contradictions, such as the contrast between the modest buildings that rise beyond its perimeter and the well-being that an event like a Formula 1 GP represents. All these twists magically spill onto the track, offering the opportunity to shine to those who, often, don't have any. Ocon is among them, a tough and fast driver, but who in the paddock has never shone for sympathy and popularity. A reputation that has often overshadowed his performances, probably also fueled by the disagreements he had with his teammates.
But Esteban Ocon, above all, is a driver capable of seizing the opportunities that the indecipherable destiny of motorsport puts before him. The podium in Bahrain in 2020. The first career victory collected in Hungary in 2021 after battling with Sebastian Vettel. Finally, the second position obtained today, at the end of a race that saw him fight and defend in persistent rain. In fact, in the first part of the race Ocon managed to defend himself from Leclerc. The great test, however, he won just before the red flag. The Alpine number 31 chose, like Verstappen who was behind him, to stay on the track with used intermediate tyres, managing to also extend his lead over the world champion. After the restart of the race, Ocon had to give way to the Dutchman, leading his race without errors until the second place earned at the finish line.
Ocon after the race: “I felt more comfortable in the wet”
Ocon's second place and Gasly's third position could prove very important for the future of Alpine. The team, in great difficulty for the whole of 2024, scored 33 points in a single race. This extraordinary result allowed the French team to overtake Racing Bulls, Williams, and Haas in the championship, thus gaining sixth position. A leap forward that could bring great economic advantages to spend in terms of development of the car, especially with a view to 2026. A great satisfaction, also expressed by the protagonist of the day Esteban Ocon.What a day it was after a difficult season. It's really nice to drive here and have the performance leveled out a bit by the rain. I said a while back that in the rain the cars are almost the same and today it was proven. I'm very happy to be on the podium, it's really awesome. The support I get here is really awesome., I could never thank everyone enough".
It will be important for Alpine now to build on this performance after the growth it has enjoyed in recent races. Yet there is still a lot of work to do, as Ocon himself stated. In fact, the Renault-powered car performed very well in the wet, but was still not very competitive on race pace in dry conditions.The car was extremely difficult in dry conditions. Today, however, I felt more comfortable with the rain. I really wanted to do some wet laps. I love it here when it rains and today was a special race for us".
