Photo Credit: BWT Alpine F1 Team
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Alpine team. With management restructuring going on in the background, it looks like a team in a bit of turmoil. The Enstone-based squad comfortably sit in P6 in the Constructors’ Championship with 73 points to their tally. However, they are now 42 points behind the much-improved McLaren team after a terrible race at Monza.
Ocon himself is P11 with 36 points in the Drivers’ Championship, one behind his countryman Pierre Gasly.
Ocon had a fantastic podium result in Monaco with P3 and with a similar tight and twisty track layout in Singapore and a lot of low-speed high traction zones, one would assume Alpine head to Singapore with some optimism of a good result.
Ocon spoke about how he dislikes the track but enjoys the challenge of getting to grips with it. The Frenchman has had an interesting experience with the Asian circuit before, famously ending up in the wall on the opening lap of the 2018 edition as then teammate Sergio Perez squeezed him into it.
“It’s not my favourite track I have to say. it’s a big challenge, definitely it has been for me in the past. But I like challenges; I like to tackle them so we’ll see.”
The track for this weekend will see some alterations with a whole section of the track being removed because of construction work. Turns 16 to 19 in sector 3 will be replaced with a long straight and this should help the cars to follow closer in that area, and it also should make it easier on the tyres and brakes.
Ocon is looking forward to this change and is hopeful the quality of the racing can be better compared to previous years. While Singapore is a popular venue, the street circuit is certainly one of the worst in regards to following another car and making passes.
“Yes that was very very good news, I was very happy. On a track that you don’t necessarily enjoy so much driving around, for them to change it, it’s very good news.
“Hopefully overtaking will improve, which was impossible before. I’m pretty sure we will be able to follow closer and that’s going to change a lot,” concluded the Frenchman.
