Esteban Ocon was one of the stars of the Monaco Grand Prix, with the BWT Alpine F1 Team driver securing a well-earned third place finish and a place on the podium on Sunday afternoon.
Ocon started third after an excellent lap during Saturday’s Qualifying session at the Circuit de Monaco, and he and his team made all the right decisions during the race, even pitting for intermediate tyres at the right time when the rain began to fall.
He withstood pressure from Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s Lewis Hamilton in the final laps to secure that final position on the podium, with Ocon becoming the first Frenchman since Olivier Panis back in 1996 to finish inside the top three in the principality.
“What a feeling! I’m so happy for the team for this amazing achievement of finishing third on this fantastic circuit and legendary event in Monaco,” said Ocon. “Thanks to the entire team both at Viry and Enstone and here at the track for what we have achieved together.
“Everyone has been working so hard and this result is for them. This must serve as motivation to keep progressing as a team and keep updating the car throughout this season.
“We have another race next weekend in Barcelona and that has to remain our focus to deliver another good result. For now, it’s a great feeling and the team and I will enjoy the celebrations!”
“We know it could have been more had things gone our way” – Pierre Gasly
Team-mate Pierre Gasly was delighted to see Alpine finish on the podium on Sunday, but the second Frenchman within the team was less happy with his own race, even though he was able to secure seventh place.
Gasly felt some things could have been done better during the race, and he says everything will be looked into to see what they can do better next time.
However, it was pleasing for Gasly to see that the recent upgrades made to the A523 appear to be working well, and he will be aiming for another strong weekend for the team next weekend in Spain.
“Congratulations to the entire team and to Esteban for the podium today, it’s been a really strong day for the team and a great reward for everyone’s hard work,” said Gasly.
“On my side, of course it’s good to score important points but we know it could have been more had things gone our way. We will review everything to see what can be done better for next time.
“Right now, though, we will focus on the positives and that’s the fact the car has been very good all weekend, our upgrades are working and we look forward to Barcelona next weekend where we must aim to back up our performance from here in Monaco on a more conventional circuit.”
