Esteban Ocon mentioned Alpine’s double podium end was a “dream” end result for the crew, however he couldn’t have saved Max Verstappen behind to him.
The pair, who clashed on the Interlagos monitor six years in the past when Ocon tried to un-lap himself from Verstappen, swapped the lead after the ultimate restart in immediately’s race. Verstappen went on to win whereas Ocon led crew mate Pierre Gasly to the rostrum in Alpine’s greatest results of the season by far.
Ocon managed to maintain Verstappen behind him on the first rolling restart however mentioned there was no option to hold him again on the second.
“Max clearly was faster on that second stint, so there was no method for me to be combating,” mentioned Ocon.
“He pulled away in a short time, as I assumed he would have completed. I informed him after the race, I used to be very impressed on how late he may brake to the within with out locking up the entrance. That’s what has occurred to quite a lot of drivers.
“Most likely in qualifying, 90% of my laps, I had the entrance locking into flip one. However yeah, he made it stick, and it was a pleasant transfer.”
Neither Alpine driver had completed a grand prix larger than ninth place previous to immediately’s race. Nevertheless they took benefit of immediately’s rain-hit qualifying and grand prix to attain 33 factors, lifting them three locations within the constructors’ championship to sixth.
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“I’m unsure that it’s a actuality or nonetheless a dream, however I odor champagne, so I believe it’s actuality,” mentioned Ocon. “But it surely’s been an unbelievable day.
“Who would have thought, to begin with, that we had been going to qualify fourth, the place we certified. We had been very, very fast as quickly as these situations pulled out immediately. It actually ranges out the sphere in right here.
“It feels nice to be simply capable of combat with different vehicles, to combat with the fellows which can be on the entrance as effectively. It exhibits that we’ve nonetheless acquired it and when there’s a possibility, we’re all the time there to have the ability to take it.”
Ocon felt he had an opportunity to win earlier than the ultimate restart gave Verstappen an opportunity to overhaul. “We had been main the race sooner or later, that was a particular second,” he mentioned. “I used to be pulling away from Max in that first restart. It was going super-well. Sadly, on the finish, a actuality test got here again and Max was nonetheless higher than us.
“But it surely feels extraordinarily nice and even larger now as a result of we’ve had a troublesome couple of races currently the place issues don’t actually work the way in which we would like for us. But it surely clearly exhibits that we’ve nonetheless acquired it when it’s not all in regards to the automobile and it’s additionally about driving.”
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