“There will be no hierarchy to start the season,” Alpine CEO confirms that Pierre Gasly nor Esteban Ocon will get No.1 driver status
Follow Us
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon (IMAGO / HochZwei)
Alpine has had a great run during the 2022 season having finished fourth in the constructors standings just behind Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes. With Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso racing for them during the 22’ season, the team endured a lot of success but also disappointment when it came to its driver feuds. These fights between Alonso and Ocon cost the team some values points.
Coming into the 2023 season, the lineup is different at the Enstone based team. With Fernando Alonso leaving his previous squad to join Aston Martin, the French team has gone on to have a fully French driver lineup with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon driving for the team in 2023. However, thing will change now as confirmed by Laurent Rossi.
There will be no number 1 driver at Alpine F1 team and both Gasly and Ocon will be treated as equals. When you take a look at their stats, they are quite similar. Due to this, the team’s decision to not appoint a leader seems rational. The team had to suffer a lot because of the clashes and tension between Alonso and Ocon during the ending stages of the season and doesn’t want the same thing to happen again.
Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have a long and bittersweet history
Here is what CEO Laurent Rossi had to say about the two drivers and how they have been prepped up. “As I said to them (Ocon and Alonso) this year, we let them race until the team was hurt like in Brazil (in the Sprint race). And at that point. We let them know. With Gasly arriving in 2023, a driver that Ocon has previously not shared a good relationship with, Rossi has again laid down the law and said that they will be “losers” if they do end up crashing each other out,” he said.
“If any problems come up, they (Ocon and Gasly) will be the losers because everyone expects that and many think they are big kids. There they can show that they have transformed into mature leaders. At the end of the contract, they will approach 30 years [of age], they must not mess up because it is dangerous to find yourself pushed out of a team because you haven’t shown sufficient maturity. Both are aware of this and they have affirmed it to me individually and together,” he continued.
Alpine’s CEO has made it pretty clear that Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will be treated as equals during the season. Moreover things seem to change mid season. We could possibly get to see the team favour one of the drivers if he is getting results for the French squad. With the history that these two have, it will be interesting to see how the French drivers will work together as teammates.
Stay Updated!
Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)