Esteban Ocon Voices Frustration Over Alpine’s Challenges in Miami GP

Esteban Ocon reflects on a challenging weekend for Alpine at the Miami Grand Prix, expressing disappointment over recurring issues that affected his performance both in the F1 Sprint and the main race.

Despite the team’s struggles, Ocon managed to secure Alpine’s first point of the season by finishing 10th in the Miami GP, with teammate Pierre Gasly securing 12th place. However, Ocon acknowledges that Alpine’s point-scoring opportunity was somewhat fortunate, given the ongoing problems they faced throughout the weekend.

Ocon highlights Alpine’s difficulty with straight-line speed as a significant hindrance during the Miami GP. He suggests that if the race had been longer, Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg might have overtaken him for the final point. Ocon credits his ability to maintain his position despite the challenges but admits that the team’s pace in the race was not as strong as in qualifying.

The French driver also reveals that he struggled with engine clipping issues during both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, impacting his performance on track. Despite these setbacks, Ocon remains optimistic and acknowledges the rewards gained from a challenging weekend.

“I think we are still better in qualifying than we are in the race,” Ocon noted, via Motorsport Week, after the Miami GP. “I think today if you have 10 more laps, probably, you know, Nico would have been very close and fighting with us again.”

“I had to fight my way through that race. It was insane how many moves I had to do and the fact that we were struggling with the straight-line speed, as well, didn’t help too much.”

“[I had the] same issue as yesterday [with engine clipping], so not the perfect lead-up to the race from Saturday onwards. But nevertheless, we come out with some rewards.”

Alpine’s struggle for race pace was evident as both Ocon and Gasly posted relatively slower lap times compared to their competitors. Additionally, their top speeds at the speed trap were lower than desired, further highlighting the team’s difficulties in Miami.

While Ocon expresses frustration over the team’s performance, he remains focused on overcoming these challenges and delivering stronger results in future races.