When Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly delivered a dream second and third for Alpine respectively in Brazil, it supplied a constructive coda to a partnership which had not all the time been constructive.
Eyebrows had been raised when Alpine employed Gasly to hitch Ocon at first of subsequent yr. Not least as a result of the circumstances of his arrival had been removed from ultimate for the group, which had been stung by the loss not solely of two-times world champion Fernando Alonso, but additionally its extremely rated junior driver Oscar Piastri, who’s now a race-winner for McLaren.
However Gasly’s hiring additionally reunited him with a driver he hasn’t all the time seen eye-to-eye with. Tales abounded of how the younger French racers clashed throughout their junior careers.
Nevertheless the pair typically performed properly of their first season as group mates. Flashpoints did happen: There was a completely pointless collision in Australia, the place Gasly was remarkably fortunate to keep away from a penalty. Later within the yr Gasly railed at a number of the group’s inside decision-making, notably when he was advised to carry station behind Ocon at Suzuka. Regardless of that, he narrowly out-scored Ocon over the course of the yr.
Firstly of their second season collectively the drivers had been aghast to find how uncompetitive the group’s new A523 was. The query of which driver would possibly rating probably the most factors wasn’t a consideration over the opening rounds as they seldom threatened the highest 10.
So it was straightforward to grasp the group’s frustration when, after each drivers scored their greatest qualifying positions of the season so far in Monaco, Ocon lunged at Gasly on the primary lap in a wildly over-optimistic transfer. Quickly afterwards phrase got here that Ocon wouldn’t stay on the group for a sixth yr.
With Ocon heading for the exit, Gasly tended to get first name on new elements. That goes a way in the direction of explaining why the steadiness of energy tipped in his favour in the direction of the top of the season, having beforehand been fairly evenly break up between the 2.
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Then alternative knocked in Brazil: The Alpine drivers had been two of simply 4 who by no means had the chance to pit below a mid-race Digital Security Automobile interval in pouring rain. They stayed out, together with Max Verstappen, and the trio crammed the rostrum. Ocon got here out forward of the 2 Alpine drivers partly due to the uncompromising transfer he pulled on his group mate in qualifying earlier that day which led to Gasly’s Q2 elimination – an incident which could have led to extra rancour had the group not loved such an unbelievable windfall outcome.
With Alpine exhibiting Ocon the door one race sooner than deliberate, which driver held the higher hand over their 45 grands prix as group mates? Gasly scored barely extra factors, however Ocon took the chequered flag forward extra usually – an important distinction given how usually they completed exterior of the highest 10 this yr. Sporting rivalries are sometimes probably the most intense between evenly-matched opponents and this appears a transparent instance of that kind.
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Ocon’s efficiency vs Gasly
2023
2024
Unrepresentative comparisons omitted. Destructive worth: Ocon was quicker; Constructive worth: Gasly was quicker
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