Following the Canadian Grand Prix, a cloud of controversy hovered over the Alpine F1 Team, embroiled by Esteban Ocon’s disappointment with a late-race team order. With emotions running high, Ocon, who was in line to finish in 9th place, was instructed to let his teammate, Pierre Gasly, overtake him just two laps before the checkered flag—a decision that did not sit well with the French driver.
Ocon’s frustration was palpable after the race as he stated, as quoted by Crash.net:
“I am happy for the team to be able to score with both cars, but the order should be reversed on that occasion.
“I got the instructions to let Pierre past with two laps to go to catch Daniel [Ricciardo] who was two and a half seconds in front and too fast for us. So the call was nonsense.
“I’ve done my part of the job, which is being a team player. I’ve always respected the instructions I’ve been given. It’s always been the case and I’ve never done anything different in my career.
“I’ve done my part of the job and not the team today, and it is very sad.”
In response to the public outburst, Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin defended the strategic call. His justification centered on a critical race-management issue: Ocon was reportedly struggling with managing his car’s power effectively, causing a slow-down and risking overtakes from rival teams like Haas. Famin elaborated on the necessity of the switch, as reported by Motorsport.com:
“We did it in the interest of the team. Esteban was suffering a bit from the power management, he was consuming quite a lot of power. And then we had two Haas F1 cars trying to overtake us from behind. Esteban was holding everyone up, at least it was easy to see that on TV, so there was a risk that the two Haas would pass us. And that’s why we gave that instruction. But you know, drivers always say things at the end of the race, but the next day we talk about it and they think differently.”
Despite the heated moment, Famin sought to squash the tensions, reflecting on the transient nature of such emotional replies post-race. He reassured:
“There is no real friction. They are drivers and when we ask them, whoever, to give up their position to their teammate, it is generally not easy.”
This comes after the announcement that Ocon will be parting ways with the team at the end of the year.
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