F1 microphones pick up what Alpine engineer said to angry Esteban Ocon at British Grand Prix

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Esteban Ocon and Alpine lost some of their momentum in qualifying for the British Grand Prix on Saturday. They were one of the teams to fall victim to the wet/dry chaos of Q1.

Ocon will start Sunday’s race from 18th – his joint-lowest grid spot since the season-opener in Bahrain. His 1:34.557 was some 3.2 seconds away from what he needed to progress to Q2.

The unusually large gap can be attributed to the track conditions. It was a damp start to qualifying, with all of the drivers initially taking to the circuit on intermediates.

However, a dry line quickly appeared and it was only a matter of time before the inters became too hot. Either side of a red flag caused by a spin for Sergio Perez, the field bolted on slicks.

Ordinarily, the track would be steadily improving in the closing moments. But a further sprinkling of rain late in Q1 interrupted the consistent drop in lap times.

Alpine’s prospects of continuing their four-race scoring streak on Sunday look slim. Pierre Gasly is starting from the back as he takes a penalty for exceeding the maximum allocation of power unit components.

Alpine engineer vowed to investigate Esteban Ocon issue in British Grand Prix qualifying

After the chequered flag in Q1, Ocon quickly expressed his frustration over the radio. He questioned the team’s approach at the end of the session.

The Frenchman’s only chance to push came during the aforementioned shower, and that meant he couldn’t escape the mid-1:30s. Alpine seemed to think that he would be able to get another lap in the end.

The world-feed microphones picked up an interaction between Ocon and an Alpine engineer in the pitlane after he climbed out of the cockpit. The team will try to work out what went wrong as they pick events apart on Saturday evening.

“Our system said that both you and Fernando [Alonso] took that flag, took the chequered flag,” Ocon was told. “I don’t know. We’ll try and find out, alright?”

Ocon set to join Haas as Oliver Bearman teammate

Ocon is leaving Alpine at the end of the season after the team mutually agreed a parting of ways. Gasly has signed a new contract, but the team won’t be favouring him as they scrap desperately for points that can lift them up the standings.

Nevertheless, BBC pundit Marc Priestley feels that there’s a ‘massive situation brewing’ at Enstone following the Ocon announcement. He’s ensure whether they’ll be able to control the inherent tension.

Ocon doesn’t need to worry about fighting for his spot on the grid. Martin Brundle believes he’s got a move to Haas lined up already.

The American team announced on Thursday that Oliver Bearman would race for them in 2025. He’s due to replace the Audi-bound Nico Hulkenberg.

Ocon, meanwhile, will take Kevin Magnussen’s seat after the Dane reaches the end of his contract. Ferrari will hope that he can be a mentoring figure for the rookie alongside him.