Esteban Ocon insists Alpine is ‘not jealous’ of McLaren’s meteoric rise in 2023

Esteban Ocon has been with Alpine for a number of years.

Esteban Ocon insists Alpine is ‘not jealous’ of McLaren’s meteoric rise in 2023

Esteban Ocon, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (Via IMAGO)

Esteban Ocon, the driver behind Alpine’s first grand Prix, has applauded McLaren for their tremendous upsurge in form during the 2023 F1 season. While he has not shied away from praising the papaya outfit, he has also made it known that his team is not jealous of their success.

Esteban Ocon genuinely believes that if McLaren can escape the mid-field tussle, so can the Enstone-based Alpine Formula 1 team. During the ongoing campaign, the French team is in a no man’s land in the sixth position in the 2023 Constructors Championship behind Fernando Alonso‘s Aston Martin.

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Ocon, despite having an up-and-down campaign, is optimistic about Alpine’s chances in the upcoming years, and while talking about the same, he told LWOS that McLaren’s rise is more of an inspiration for them and that they can also escape the midfield. The Frenchman has made it clear that he has his full faith in the abilities of the men and women on the Alpine F1 team.

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I think there’s no jealousy. No, like, – oh sh*t, they’ve done a really good job. To me, it’s more like – oh, they’ve done it, so it is possible. So fair play. Admiration for the work that they’ve done. And [it shows] it is possible to get out of the midfield because they’ve done so. So why not us?

Esteban Ocon has been incredibly unluckily in 2023

While Esteban Ocon has oozed a lot of confidence around Alpine heading into the upcoming years, on a personal note, he has been extremely unlucky during the ongoing campaign. Ocon has so far endured a huge seven DNFs in the season for one reason or the other.

Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon (Credits: Planet F1)

Moreover, because of this very reason, he is currently behind his teammate, Pierre Gasly, in the Drivers Championship. The latter has so far managed sixty-two points in the campaign, whereas Ocon is currently on forty-six points. But the latter, despite his problems, scored a podium finish at the iconic Monaco GP.

Alpine has a very strong driver lineup in the form of Esteban and Pierre, and if Bruno Famin and Co. can present them with a potent car, they will make a lot of noise around the north end of the grid in the upcoming years. The onus is on Alpine to deliver solid weaponry to its F1 drivers.

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