Jack Doohan sends message to Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly after Sao Paulo Grand Prix Alpine double podium

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The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was always going to spring a few surprises but no one would have seen a double Alpine podium finish for Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly coming.

Lando Norris was on pole position for what used to be called the Brazilian Grand Prix but once again wasn’t leading by the end of the first lap.

A chaotic qualifying session that saw five red flags come out handed Esteban Ocon the chance to start from P4, although Pierre Gasly got caught out at the end of Q2.

However, Gasly showed Alpine in the Sprint Race that they had genuine pace by scoring two points and finishing ahead of the likes of Sergio Perez and Lewis Hamilton.

Overtaking proved to be very tricky for everyone who wasn’t called Max Verstappen who eased his way through the pack, and in particular used the run down to turn one to his advantage.

Oscar Piastri made a mistake overtaking Liam Lawson, while the likes of Franco Colapinto and Lance Stroll couldn’t keep their cars on the track.

Alpine did exactly that before nailing their pit stop strategy before the red flag came out following Colapinto’s crash.

It meant they were running first and third at the restart and that’s where they stayed before Carlos Sainz’s crash brought out the safety car for the final time.

Verstappen pulled off his trademark move on Ocon and drove off into the distance but Alpine’s drivers held onto second and third until the end of the race.

Jack Doohan – who will drive for Alpine next year in Ocon’s place – sent a message to both drivers on Instagram after their landmark result.

It’s set to have huge implications for the Constructors’ Championship which now looks much rosier for the French team.

Jack Doohan sends message to Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon after Sao Paulo Grand Prix podiums

After the race, Doohan said: “Huge!!! Amazing result team @alpinef1team”, before sending a message to the fans at the track and said: “Obrigado Brasil pelo Carinho [Thank you Brazil for your love]. See you next year Sao Paulo.”

Speaking after the race, Ocon said: “What a day that was after a difficult season. I’m very happy to be on the podium, I cannot thank everyone enough.

“The car was extremely difficult in the dry, but I felt at ease when it started to rain. I love it here when it rains, and today it has brought us a special race.”

Gasly echoed his teammate’s thought and added: “It’s incredible for the whole team, it’s been such a tough season and we have struggled to score points. But two cars on the podium, I don’t think anybody had that on their bingo card!

“We started 13th, and managed to make 10 positions so I’m absolutely buzzing. Would have been easy to give up after a tough season but we never gave up.”

READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Alpine receive huge Constructors’ Championship boost after difficult season

Ocon and Gasly added 33 points to Alpine’s tally in Sao Paulo, meaning they move above Williams, Haas and RB in the Constructors’ Championship.

Considering up to this point they previously only had 16 points, it’s a huge achievement from team principal Oliver Oakes’s new team.

READ MORE: Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

On Sky Sports F1, it was suggested that the result could be worth £50m in prize money, which would make a significant difference to their prospects going forward.

With Alpine set to end their power unit project with Renault, that money could go a long way to paying to become a customer team.

Mercedes are expected to provide Alpine’s new engines from 2026 and the result will give everyone at their factory in Enstone a much-needed confidence boost.