The first two races of the season in Bahrain and Jeddah have affirmed what we had inferred from pre-season testing: Alpine’s struggles persist, with their car languishing at the tail end of the field.
During the latter race, Esteban Ocon, starting from 17th on the grid, managed to overtake Valtteri Bottas of Sauber at the race’s onset. Subsequently, he found himself amidst a pack of competitors, including Kevin Magnussen, Yuki Tsunoda, and Alex Albon, all delayed by Magnussen.
Although Ocon finished in 12th position, he was quick to dispel any notion that this outcome represented substantial progress for Alpine. Instead, he characterized the race as “opportunistic,” attributing his presence in the faster cars group to circumstantial factors.
“I think an opportunistic race, that’s how we should call it,” remarked Ocon. “We navigated our way through and fought our way through and there were a lot of battles. But in the end, it was just not enough.”
Reflecting on the race, Ocon highlighted areas for improvement, indicating that the experience of racing alongside competitors shed light on Alpine’s deficiencies more clearly than the opening round in Bahrain.
“In comparison to Bahrain, I think here there were quite a few things that we spotted that we can improve. But there is a lot to improve still, and we are aware of it,” he asserted.
Despite his improved grid position in Jeddah, Ocon admitted that his car’s performance did not permit him to truly compete with others on the track.
“I couldn’t fight,” he conceded. “We managed to get in front of them somehow, but on a normal circuit, I think, with normal situations, and no fighting, we are still behind.”
Regarding Magnussen’s tactics, which effectively slowed down the chasing group, Ocon expressed understanding, acknowledging the challenges it posed while refraining from outright criticism.
“It was tough racing. But I like tough racing, so that’s not for me to complain about,” he remarked. “Is it too much? I don’t know. The FIA has to decide if it’s too much or not.”
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