Esteban Ocon Paints A Grim Picture Of Alpine After Williams Overtake

Saajan Jogia | 2 Hours Ago

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; BWT Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon of France (31) during the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Williams overtook Alpine in the Constructors' Championship with a double-point finish, reclaiming the eighth spot and further exposing the growing struggles within the Enstone-based team. Alpine driver Esteban Ocon painted a grim picture of the team's situation as it goes through a period of transformation.

Alpine currently sits in ninth place in the championship with just 13 points, placing it one spot ahead of the Sauber F1 team, which has yet to score a point. Alpine has been making headlines in recent times, as parent company Renault decided to pull the plug on its 2026 F1 engine project at the Viry Châtillon factory, citing financial considerations.

However, the team is struggling with an underpowered power unit in the current ground effect era, and it won't be until 2026 that it can use the much-speculated Mercedes engine in the new era of regulations. Ocon, who spends his last season with Alpine before moving to Haas next year, revealed that with the current performance of the A524 F1 car, it would be tough to retake the eighth spot from Williams, despite the three-point difference. He told the media after the Singapore Grand Prix:

“It’s going to be difficult, for sure.

“Williams are on a very upward trajectory on their side. They’ve been very quick all season and probably quicker than us most times.

“At the moment, we are ninth obviously in the constructors’ championship. It’s reflecting a bit on the car’s performance unfortunately. The whole team is trying their best to try and improve the situation, but it’s going to be a tough one to try and recover.

“We haven't given up, obviously. We are giving our best until the end of the year.”

He attributes the struggles to a problematic 2024 season, which has kept him from fully enjoying his time behind the wheel. He added:

“It’s been full of problems and issues, and we just want to be able to build something good and get some fun at the wheel for me, which is the most important [thing] and something I didn’t have for a while.”

Being optimistic, the 28-year-old driver intends to end his final stint with Alpine "on a high." He said:

“Even if it’s been difficult, I’m not giving up.

“I still want to finish the chapter with this team on a high. It hasn’t gone the way I would’ve liked.

“At the moment it’s a pretty sad end, unfortunately, but hopefully we can catch things up and be on the better end for the remainder of the season.”