Ocon could hope for better in these conditions
Esteban Ocon's weekend at Zandvoort could have been more fruitful. Unfortunately for him, a poor qualifying session and unfavorable conditions put an end to what could have been a promising result.
We cannot say that Esteban Ocon had a dream weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix. The N°31 already had to endure a very damaging elimination in Q1 on Saturday, in delicate conditions.
Bruno Famin, the new boss of the Alpine team, had said that it would take the help of the heavens to achieve a good result. And overall, Esteban Ocon did not waver: his 17th place was forgotten with the rain showers that fell at the start of the race.
Alpine had a keen eye with Gasly, but instead of bringing in Ocon next, they brought in the second Norman to the pits at the end of the second lap. This strategy, although far from optimized, allowed him to hover around the Top 10 for a good portion of the race, battling notably with the McLarens and Alexander Albon’s Williams. But the end of the race leaves a sense of unfinished business, especially considering the podium achieved by his teammate Pierre Gasly.
A red flag that falls at the wrong time
The radios of everyone were filled with a single message: « a second shower is coming, and it’s going to be stronger than the first one. » And what a downpour! The Zandvoort circuit was completely soaked by the rain. So, entering the pit lane one lap after Gasly, Ocon made a gamble: rain tires!
Everyone was on intermediates at that time, but with the rain intensifying, the bet could have paid off. The amount of water would have allowed Ocon to climb back up faster than everyone else! Guanyu Zhou, who went out in the first corner, the red flag ruined the strategic gamble for Ocon.
One point nevertheless
With his pneumatic offset, better suited to the conditions, where could Esteban Ocon have finished? In the Top 5? We’ll never know. Nevertheless, Alpine, in the midst of a shake-up, has validated a double Top 10 finish, which does a world of good for the team. Especially in the fight against McLaren!
“I am happy for Pierre and the entire team,” he said after the race. “But on my side, it was not the result we were hoping for. However, we still made a great comeback towards scoring points.”
There is nothing to throw away overall, as Ocon and his Alpine showed solid pace throughout the race, regardless of the conditions. And besides, he also put a smile on Alpine’s face in Monaco. Everyone’s turn will come, who knows… a double podium, perhaps?
