Esteban Ocon admits Alpine issues leave F1 driver fearing ‘worst feeling’

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Esteban Ocon has admitted why the issues at Alpine to the start the 2024 Formula 1 season leave him fearing the ‘worst feeling’ he can have ahead of the Australian GP.

The 27-year-old is yet to get off the mark this year as Alpine strive to recover from an almost worst-case scenario. Ocon could only finish the Bahrain GP in P17, and only improved to P13 in the Saudi Arabian GP. A difficult start to 2024 leaves the Frenchman 17th in the standings.

Teammate Pierre Gasly also sits 21st and last in the drivers’ championship after the first two rounds. The 28-year-old finished the Bahrain GP in P18 and retired on the opening lap of the Saudi Arabian GP with his gearbox issue. It all leaves Alpine 10th and last in the teams’ table.

Alpine have had the slowest car in qualifying to start the 2024 season

Practice for the Australian GP on Friday threatens to suggest Ocon and Gasly face a difficult weekend once again, too. Gasly set the Renault-owned outfit’s fastest time in FP2 but it was only enough for P15 with Ocon in P17. They also sealed the same positions in reverse in FP1.

Gasly set Alpine’s fastest time of Friday with a 1:18.691, just 0.014 seconds faster than Ocon could post. His lap was also 1.414s off the table-topping pace of Ferrari star Charles Leclerc with a 1:17.277. Even Yuki Tsunoda of Visa Cash App RB was 0.503s faster to take 10th place.

Alpine face a huge deficit to the front of the field having developed an overweight car which also lacks downforce for 2024. The A524 was the slowest car in qualifying at the Bahrain GP and the Saudi Arabian GP. Now, Ocon and Gasly face a fight to avoid a repeat in Melbourne.

Esteban Ocon admits Alpine’s issues leave him fearing the ‘worst feeling’

Ocon also admits that the gap Alpine face to the front-running teams leaves him fearing the ‘worst feeling’ possible as a Formula 1 driver. He dreads producing a solid drive without any rewards for the Evreux native’s exploits. Ocon got points in 12 of the 22 Grand Prix last year.

“It’s the worst feeling you have,” Ocon admitted, via quotes by Autosport. “I honestly hate that when you do a good weekend and I’m not able to enter the top 10 and score points in the race, there’s no reward for you at the end.

“But it’s up to us to try and figure [it] out, and get more performance and get closer to these cars. It’s tough to go through a weekend and push as hard as you can – also, mentally, to be doing the maximum – knowing that there could be no reward in the end.”