Alpine intended to base its present on Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso while grooming its star of the future, Oscar Piastri. Now everything seems to indicate that only the Frenchman will continue in the team and many doubt that he is ready to lead.
Recent events force Alpine to seek a partner for Esteban Oconthe only driver who has always had his continuity guaranteed in the team and who, paradoxically, most analysts consider the least talented of the trio that in theory was going to represent the team in Formula 1.
Fernando Alonso already has his destiny sealed with Aston Martin, while Oscar Piastri refuses to continue in Alpine, even as a regular pilot. Therefore, the responsibility falls on Esteban Ocon. At least until the team finds its second driver for 2023.
“He was as fast as Pérez and also a tough driver. The same happens with Fernando»
When asked if the 25-year-old French driver with 102 Grand Prix behind him has what it takes to become Alpine’s project leader on the track, his boss says the answer is crystal clear.
“Esteban is a great talent. He can lead the team and I’m sure he’ll get better and better. He already has a victory to his credit and this year he has also scored good points for us. And next year he will have learned even more,” says Otmar Szafnauer.
“I worked with him at Force India, it was back in the days when Sergio Pérez was his teammate. He was as fast as Sergio and also a tough driver.”recalls about a driver who is sometimes overly aggressive with his teammates.
Esteban Ocon vs. Fernando Alonso
Otmar Szafnauer Nor does it shy away from the comparison between its two current drivers, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso. The head of Alpine on the circuits considers that the Frenchman stands up well to the comparison with the two-time world champion, although he admits that he still needs to improve in one specific aspect.
“The same goes for Fernando, who has the ability and talent to get a lap out of the car very quickly.. It needs three or four laps to be at 99.9% and that extra 0.1% is achieved with a few more laps,” Szafnauer develops.
«Esteban, on the other hand, needs a little more time to get the most out of the car. But after all, it is there on Saturday and Sunday. So he still has to learn how to get there a little bit faster, but we’re working with him on that,” she concludes.
The truth is that Esteban Ocon is proving to have the ability to score points regularly, although he has not managed to approach the speed of Fernando Alonso in qualifying, nor his race pace on Sundays.
Font: Motorsport-total.com
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Photos: Alpine F1 Team