“There will be no hierarchy,” Laurent Rossi reveals plans for team dynamics at Alpine in 2023
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Esteban Ocon (L) Pierre Gasly (R)
Esteban Ocon is getting a new teammate in the form of Pierre Gasly for the 2023 F1 season, and ahead of their tie-up, Alpine’s CEO, Laurent Rossi has made it clear that there will be no Number 1 driver on the team next year.
Esteban Ocon has been with the French team since 2020 and possesses a lot of experience regarding how things are done on the team, however, despite the 25-year-old having spent almost 3 years with the team, he is not going to be seen above Pierre Gasly in any way next year.
While stressing about the same, Laurent Rossi said, “There will be no hierarchy, there is none today with Alonso and Ocon. Now there are no differences in pedigree between Gasly and Ocon – they are the same.”
Moreover, Rossi feels that if a team hierarchy was to be imposed for 2023, it would escalate the past tensions between Ocon and Gasly. He further adds, “When they saw each other, we felt that they had known each other for 20 years.”
“I have the impression that they have said to each other that there’s an opportunity.“
Laurent Rossi feels Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly can do wonders at Alpine
Esteban and Pierre have never been the best of friends because of some past happenings, but despite all the tension between the two drivers, Laurent Rossi is confident that they would be able to keep their personal differences aside for the benefit of the team.
“They’re mature now – I hope. They want to do something beautiful together.”
“You can do anything when you’re 15 but at 26 it’s time to be serious. It’s potentially one of their last major contracts because careers start early now.”
“At 26, unless you’re an excellent champion, we arrive in the ’did you have a breakthrough or not’ area. I am counting on them to show that they have learned.”
Moreover, Rossi has admitted that Pierre Gasly’s experience of having three podiums and a race win already in his bag will come in handy at Alpine and feels it is, “absolutely what we need to continue progressing.”
He further adds, “We took him because he meets all the criteria and in addition, he is French, so that’s good,” he said. “We are a bit like the French Formula 1 team now.”
“We weren’t aiming to make a 100 percent French team because first of all, it’s the performance of the driver that counts. The idea was to take the best available or unavailable driver for the team to progress.”
After all the shenanigans during the current campaign, Alpine has got a very strong lineup with Esteban and Pierre for 2023 and considering that the team has been continuously improving, the duo would be hoping for further improvement next year so that they would be able to help the team in challenging the bigger teams of the grid.
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)