Alpine driver Esteban Ocon faced a tough weekend at the Imola Grand Prix, where the team’s performance fell short of expectations after an encouraging Miami. Speaking post-race, the French driver shared his thoughts on the challenges faced during the race and his outlook for the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix.
Reflecting on the race weekend, Ocon admitted that it did not go as planned as he finished 14th, 25s away from Yuki Tsunoda in P10.
“It was a tricky race. Struggling to attack the others in front, or struggled to defend really. We knew that this wing was the best for us,” he explained.
The team had anticipated that their chosen wing configuration would be optimal, but the significant difference in straight-line speed proved to be a major obstacle as defending and overtaking proved incredibly difficult.
Ocon had got stuck for a number of laps behind Valtteri Bottas on much fresher tyres in the second stint. He had to get creative and made a cracking move around the outside into turn 9.
“Our straight-line speed difference was too big to be able to race. The pace also was not the best,” he said.
The early stages of the race were particularly challenging, as Ocon struggled to keep pace with Lance Stroll who passed him, with the Canadian eventually finishing P9, almost 50s ahead.
“We struggled to keep Lance in the beginning, and once he passed, he pulled away by half a second or more over a lap,” the Frenchman recounted.
Despite the difficulties, Ocon remains hopeful, stating, “We weren’t fast enough this race, but hopefully we can fight back and continue our learning next week in Monaco.”
When asked if Alpine underperformed at Imola, especially compared to their performance in Miami when he finished P10 to score their first point of 2024, Ocon acknowledged the struggle.
“I think we were more or less the same. For sure we were better in the race in Miami. We struggled more in the race here.
“That’s where we are at the moment. It is still too much on the limit to be scoring points in every race,” he admitted, highlighting the current challenges Alpine faces in maintaining consistent points finishes.
Looking ahead to the Monaco Grand Prix, a venue where Ocon had a fantastic race last year as he stood on the third step of the podium, he was cautiously optimistic. “We’re going to stay feet on the ground. This season has been difficult for us, we haven’t been performing the way we want.
“We are going to try and optimise the weekend and see what we can bring home,” he said.
Ocon’s pragmatic approach reflects the team’s understanding of the season’s challenges and their commitment to improving performance.
