Gasly tired of Ocon incidents: “We’ve come close too many times”

Jaden Diaz
27/05/2024

Pierre Gasly says he is tired of clashing with his teammate, pointing out his history of incidents with Esteban Ocon. The Monaco GP was the latest chapter of an uneasy history between the Alpine duo. As it stands, team boss Bruno Famin seems convinced that strong action is necessary.

Just over twelve months ago, it was Gasly who was responsible for a costly incident with his teammate. At the restart for the Australian GP, the former AlphaTauri driver pushed Ocon into the barrier. That mistake cost the Enstone team what could have been a massive points haul.

Gasly was also perilously close to a race ban at the time, with the stewards deciding against a penalty – in large part – because of Alpine’s intervention. Since this was a clash between teammates, it was possible to prevent a penalty from being awarded.

However, there have been other incidents between the duo since then. These vary in animosity and significance, although the general sense of tension is clear.

Of course, the Enstone-based team’s failures can largely be attributed to poor development. The A524 is still nowhere near fighting at the front and remains a relatively average car within the midfield pack.

Despite the less-than-ideal chemistry between Ocon and Gasly, they generally optimise their package and compete at a high level. Relative to their immediate rivals, Alpine arguably have a stronger driver pairing.

PIERRE GASLY: THIS CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN

Unfortunately for Ocon, this will not lessen the public or internal scrutiny he faces. Post-race, Pierre Gasly made clear that the status quo cannot continue:

“In a season like this, every point at the end of the year can be really decisive,” motorsport-total.

“We have come close to each other a few times, too many times. We just have to make that clear. 

“Because today we were only a few centimetres away from both cars being in the wall. I’m actually just happy that I saw the finish line.”

The F1 world now waits with bated breath to see what action Bruno Famin takes. After yesterday’s clash, the Alpine team principal made a series of very stern comments about Ocon’s move.

As ever, the off-track situation at Alpine is worth paying close attention to.

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