Dissing all Civil War Stories, Pierre Gasly & Esteban Ocon’s Contrasting Acceptance on their Horrific Crash Paints Their 50/50 Dynamic

Pierre Gasly shocked the world when he decided to join Alpine after growing tired of waiting for the Red Bull call-up again. Apart from the shocking aspect of the move, there were some concerns as well. The concerns mainly revolved around his relationship with his new teammate, Esteban Ocon. Ocon and Gasly never got along well during their years of racing each other in various categories. However, after switching sides, the theories of tensions between the two were time and again disproven. There were concerns that after their race-costing crash in Australia, these dormant tensions will surface. However, the Alpine boss, Otmar Szafnauer gave a contrasting insight into their dynamic after the disaster in Australia.

Ahead of the Azerbaijan GP, the Alpine boss took time out to converse with Tom Clarkson on the F1 Nation podcast. During this conversation, the host brought up the crash in Australia. The crash could’ve potentially upset the team dynamic. However, Szafnauer’s revelation not only disproved an upsetting scenario, it also gave us an insight into the relationship of the Alpine men.

When Clarkson asked, “Do both drivers see it as a racing incident?” The boss promptly replied, “I mean they’re both a bit contrite. Both of them at the beginning thought ‘Maybe that’s my fault’. So when that happens, when you have 50/50, then you kind of know that yeah they didn’t see it coming.”

“Both of them were ‘Yeah had I not gone off, this wouldn’t have happened. Had I not tried to go by him, this wouldn’t have happened’. So it’s like 50/50,” he reiterated.

Read More: Esteban Ocon-Pierre Gasly Civil War Generating a High Bill

There are clearly no concerns about a falling out between the two drivers even after the disaster in Australia. In fact, the boss was concerned about a different aspect of the crash than his driver’s relationship.

Alpine boss is concerned about a different aspect of the sport and not Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon’s relationship

A Formula 1 team principal is constantly surrounded with concerning decisions and factors that affect the team. However, for Szafnauer, tensions between Ocon and Gasly is not one of them. In fact, the boss has more pressing issues resulting from the crash.

“From the point of view of the budget limit, I think we’re going to be fine, from everything I know. I don’t think there is any concern. It will be expensive, it probably would have been a lot less expensive if it hadn’t happened,” said the boss as quoted by RacingNews365 regarding the crash in Australia.

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The cost is of more concern than his diver’s relationship with the Alpine boss currently. These statements showcase that all the concerns about a potential civil war were never a concern for the team.