Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. Performances at Bahrain and Jeddah have given Esteban Ocon and Team Alpine a reality check. The French team’s pace is not where everyone expected and has left the team searching for answers. The Frenchman has accepted the fact and is demanding more from the team, saying this is not satisfactory.

Alpine finished P8 and P9 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit putting them P5 in the constructor’s standing. They were certain that they have made significant gains after the Bahrain testing. But just so it happens, the rest of the grid did too, and some of its competitors have jumped them on performance during the winter. With McLaren performing poorly and Aston Martin leap-frogging everyone in the midfield, Alpine is left in the same place as last season.

Esteban Ocon realizes the situation the team is currently in and expects more. Looking around at the competition, Ocon believes if others have made the improvement, even his own team can. The motivation to keep fighting and moving forward is there within the team. However, just the will to keep fighting isn’t enough for the team dissatisfied with the results. The French team and driver duo want more.

According to Motorsport-total.com, Ocon said, “We cannot be satisfied with where we are at the moment.” He also highlighted the improvements made by other teams. “There are a few teams that have improved massively compared to the others. It shows that it’s possible and we have to keep fighting, that’s also the mood in the team. But no, we can’t be satisfied with where we are today have landed.”

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Both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are competitive drivers who’d like the challenge to fight further up the field. It’s a positive that the team realizes where it is and is ready to put in the work to move forward.

Is there any positive that Alpine can take from Saudi Arabian GP?

Alpine finished behind the Big 3 and the Aston Martin. It looked like they might’ve been able to hold on to the Ferraris, but the Maranello-based team pulled away. With Aston Martin joining the Big 3 as front runners, Alpine looks like the best of the rest. Both the cars finished in the points which is a positive considering only Gasly finished in Bahrain.

According to Formula 1.com, Gasly mentioned after the race “I think overall, there is definitely some positives from the race. Second race with the team, second time in the points, so we will take that.”

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Do you think Alpine will finish ahead of the Top 4 teams by the end of the season?