The incredible qualification of Esteban Ocon in Monaco
Temporarily in pole position, Esteban Ocon made his team dream for a few minutes. The Frenchman will eventually start 4th on the grid tomorrow.
Esteban Ocon continues to establish himself as a reference in the middle of the pack since his return to Formula 1. On the streets of Monaco, the Frenchman built his weekend wisely. The Evreux native consistently placed in the Top 10 during Free Practice sessions. And if there were any lingering doubts about the true pace of the Alpine, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly dispelled them in qualifying by making it to Q3.
The one who started his career in Formula 1 with Manor didn’t want to settle for just appearing in Q3 but had great ambitions at the wheel of an Alpine in Monaco. Leaving the garage a little before his rivals, Ocon threw his car with rage and determination between the rails of Monaco, recording a 1’11’553 which was momentarily synonymous with pole position. Ultimately, Verstappen, Alonso, and Leclerc improved their times. Ocon must therefore settle for fourth position, which remains a very promising result for tomorrow’s race.
It’s with a smile brighter than the sun above his head that Esteban Ocon spoke about his performance: “We really unleashed all the horses on the final lap. We did everything right, we built the weekend very well. We had a difficult car to drive at the beginning of qualifying but it was much better towards the end. Great job from the team, we put everything together.”
If 4th place is an outstanding performance for an Alpine driver, especially considering their stagnation in the midfield since the beginning of the season, Esteban Ocon paradoxically has some regrets. Indeed, he came very close to becoming the first French poleman since Jean Alesi, behind the wheel of his Benetton at the Italian Grand Prix in 1997: « A little disappointed, of course, because we saw ourselves slide down. We made the choice to start earlier to avoid the yellow flags like in Miami. We had a very good qualifying session, which gives us hope for tomorrow. »
Fortunately for the French team, Esteban Ocon’s performance is not an anomaly. Alpine will also be able to rely on Pierre Gasly, who starts in 7th place. The two drivers, wearing the French flag on their suits, must bring in a good number of points for their team. Especially since Laurent Rossi’s team only has 14 points in the constructor’s championship and currently occupies 6th position. This situation is far from what the team had announced during the winter break.
