Alpine’s Esteban Ocon had a challenging 2024 Las Vegas GP as he struggled for pace in qualifying, and drove through the pits at one point with no mechanics ready as the team got things badly wrong for the squad led by Oliver Oakes.
Qualifying
Qualifying was a struggle for the French driver, as he only managed P11, failing to advance to Q3. This poor starting position set the tone for a race filled with difficulties.
His teammate Pierre Gasly performed well in qualifying (starting P3) and maintained strong race pace until later setbacks with an engine failure.
Race ruined
While Ocon’s starting position was already a struggle, his race was thrown off by a botched pit stop. He had been running in P11, only 4s and five places adrift of Gasly before the tyre changes started.
Ocon entered the pit lane, but the Alpine crew was not ready for him, leading to what he described as a “drive-through for nothing.”
This significantly disrupted his strategy and killed any chance of a points finish.
“We eventually, you know, did a drive-through for nothing because we didn’t change tyres and, you know, that cost us our race because then we try and hang on for that one stop until the end.
“I think before that, you know, we were going to be on for points, for sure, you know, able to fight for it.”
Differing opinions between Ocon and Oakes
The French driver believes that his car is not working as well as Gasly’s, and that there are fixes that need to happen heading into Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
He already mentioned a sizeable deficit post-qualifying, talking about wheelspin being an issue.
Ocon beat Gasly in Singapore but has been a long way off in every dry qualifying session since then.
“I think one car, Pierre [Gasly’s] was quick since Austin. Unfortunately we are not fast since Austin and that could cost us as well in the championship [against Haas].
“So yeah, we need to figure out what exactly is going on and hopefully improve the situation for the next two.”
Team principal Oliver Oakes affirmed that the cars of Ocon and Gasly were identical at the Las Vegas GP, suggesting the disparity might stem from comfort or different driving styles.
“From our side, both cars are the same, both got the upgrade, just everybody has to keep looking into making it more comfortable.
“I think you can see [Ocon has] been strong in the race pace. I think [Gasly] has the legs on him a little bit in the qualifying, and I think that’s where he’s coming from, really. We need to get him more comfortable.
“Even this weekend, to be fair, he was one-tenth away from Q3, and he had a very good race pace today. It was just a shame we made it tougher than it needed to be.”
Moving Forward
Either way, Ocon and Alpine will be hopeful to secure better results in the final two rounds of the season.
They have fallen behind Haas in the Constructors’ Championship by a singular point. Ocon will be driving for Haas next year, but for now, he will look to end his time with Alpine on a high note.
