Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images
With Ocon and teammate Pierre Gasly starting near the front, Alpine could come away with a big haul of points Sunday
The story before, and after, the Miami Grand Prix regarding Alpine was one of mounting pressure on Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer.
What a difference a qualifying session can make.
Esteban Ocon came tantalizingly close to his maiden pole position in F1, posting a lap that put him on provisional pole for a few moments late in the third qualifying session. Ocon finished in P4, but a three-place penalty handed down to Charles Leclerc will see Ocon start the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix in third position.
For his part, teammate Pierre Gasly will start seventh.
Following his qualifying run that saw him place fourth, Ocon expressed his joy at the result. “[I]t’s a hell of a moment for everyone. Pleased already that we are fourth, let’s see what we can do tomorrow. A good start and hopefully some fighting in front.”
Ocon elaborated in the team’s post-qualifying media report.
“What a day! First of all, a big well done to the entire team, both at the track and at the factories in Enstone and Viry. Our result really shows that hard work pays off,” said Ocon following qualifying.
“I felt comfortable right from the beginning in qualifying and I gave it my all on that last lap,” he added. “Starting in fourth place on the grid in Monaco is great spot to be in and while I’m very happy now, we know we cannot settle for that as there’s a long way to go this weekend.”
Ocon blasted to the top of the timing sheets late in Q3, before seeing Fernando Alonso, Leclerc, and ultimately Max Verstappen inch past him atop the table. But it was the massive run from the Alpine driver that touched off a frenetic finish, one that F1 fans and analysts alike are hailing as one of the more exciting days in recent qualifying memory:
For Gasly, who starts seventh tomorrow, the team is in a tremendous position to pick up a big haul of points.
“That was a very intense Qualifying and it’s good that we’ve come away with a great outcome for the team. I’m relatively satisfied with seventh but there was definitely more on my side so I do have bittersweet feelings in that regard,” said Gasly following qualifying.
“The car felt strong and we were obviously up there and competitive, with Esteban doing a really good job to be in fourth place,” Gasly added. “I just didn’t quite get it together in Q3 with some rear sliding on my push lap. Even so, to start seventh in Monaco puts us in a very good place for tomorrow’s race where we must aim for a big haul of points from both cars.”
Saturday’s successful qualifying session must feel like a welcome relief around the team.
Leading up to the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi blasted the “amateurishness” around the F1 squad. “It’s disappointing, it’s actually bad,” he said speaking with French outlet Canal+. “This year ended up starting with a flawed performance and flawed delivery. It’s obvious our position in the standings is not worthy of the resources we spend, and we are quite far – in fact very far – from this year’s end goal.”
Rossi was getting warmed up.
“I did not like the first grand prix, because there was a lot of – I’m sorry for saying this – amateurishness, which led to a result that wasn’t right. It was mediocre, bad,” said Rossi. “And the last race in Baku was tremendously similar to the one in Bahrain. That is not acceptable.”
Then in an interview for F1 Unlocked that published following the Miami Grand Prix — where both drivers finished in the points — Rossi seemed to turn up the heat. Speaking with Lawrence Barretto, Rossi made it clear that there could be consequences.
“I don’t enter a competition and reset my objective because it’s easier. The team managed to get fourth,” added Rossi. “They have the means to get fourth, more so than others. I want them to be fourth. If they don’t, it’s going to be a failure.”
Given Saturday’s “hell of a moment,” perhaps Alpine are on track to avoid that failure.
