When Alpine determined to pair Pierre Gasly with Esteban Ocon, it was instantly met with questions on how the 2 former buddies who grew up karting collectively would get alongside as teammates.
Whereas 2023 in addition to the beginning of the 2024 marketing campaign was a battle for the workforce and never with out some tense moments — resembling a gap lap collision between the 2 in the beginning of this season’s Monaco Grand Prix — Sunday’s Method 1 São Paulo Grand Prix gave the pair a proverbial second within the solar.
Even when there was no solar to be discovered within the sky above a rain-soaked Interlagos.
Ocon completed second, with Gasly behind him in third, to present the workforce a double-podium end. It was the primary for the Enstone-based operation for the reason that 2013 marketing campaign, once they had been competing below the Lotus branding.
After the rostrum celebration, Ocon mirrored on that “stunning story” within the FIA Press Convention, whereas discussing how he’s leaving for Haas subsequent season.
“However, yeah, extraordinarily pleased and proud, you recognize, of me and Pierre, to be trustworthy. We’ve had our tales at instances, nevertheless it’s been unbelievable to try this final formation lap. Loads of flashbacks got here again to my reminiscences, after we had been racing on the moist in go-karts, after we had been younger, even within the snow with the slick tires, we had been each racing collectively and ready for the rostrum or the win to come back,” stated Ocon. “And right now, yeah, it tastes a bit like that. So, yeah, stunning story from the place we come from. And, yeah, that one will for certain endlessly keep engraved.”
His teammate echoed these ideas.
“I don’t suppose anybody can perceive. , it’s a really private relationship between Esteban and myself. However we’ve been going by a lot. And as he talked about, all these instances we’ve had, like over winter, minus-five levels outdoors, we had been the one ones exhibiting up on the go-kart observe, going out within the rain, within the snow, slick tires, 9, 10, 11 years previous,” stated Gasly. “And we’ve actually practiced these situations. And on a day like right now, I can inform you this truly made the distinction, all that observe. I bear in mind us getting again within the truck attempting to get heat after a number of laps as a result of we had been completely freezing. And it’s simply that we’ve had our ups and downs.
“However as you stated, this two years chapter as team-mates, I believe we could be very happy with the best way we’ve pushed the workforce ahead. It’s been robust, clearly, this season, however we’ve all the time tried to push the workforce in the precise path to by no means surrender,” Gasly added. “And on a day like right now, even when the automotive has misbehaved for almost all of the season, everybody tried to place the A recreation, and it was simply an historic day for the workforce. So very proud for everybody working within the workforce to realize such a efficiency.”
The win vaulted Alpine up the standings, rocketing them from ninth to sixth within the Constructors’ Championship. Whereas three race weekends stay, and Alpine will face a troublesome struggle with Haas and Visa Money App RB F1 Group in that struggle, they now have the benefit in that battle because the season winds down. Given how they’ve fared in latest weeks, one may nearly make the case that Alpine may have a bonus in that struggle.
No matter how that seems, nonetheless, their drivers wrote a “stunning story” within the rain Sunday at Interlagos.
