“It Can Go Bad”: French Civil War Tipped to Be on the Cusp as Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon Set to Take Center Stage

When Alpine announced its lineup for 2023, the heads across the paddock turned to see what Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon will bring to the table with the history they have shared. From karting together to reaching the pinnacle of motorsports, the French duo has come a long way. The pair belonging to Normandy shared a friendship that eventually turned sour. Not having to cross paths frequently, the two never really made efforts to repair the relationship. However, the real test of maturity awaits them in the name of the 2023 season. Ex-Haas driver and also a Frenchman, Romain Grosjean, has a warning about the duo for Alpine ahead of the season.

Some of the most iconic rivalries between drivers have been that of teammates. Like Alpine’s 2023 drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg also shared a deep friendship that turned sour due to the cutthroat competition in F1. The drivers never looked eye to eye again. In Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly’s case, the friendship was out the door even before they became teammates. On his YouTube Channel, Grosjean mentioned that this pairing is one of the four things he does not want to miss in the 2023 season.

He thinks it will be a phenomenal pairing if the drivers can make it work, but he also believes that the French team is treading on thin ice.

“Alpine is going to have to keep an eye on the relationship between the two of them. If it starts to be an ego fight to be the best French driver on the grid in the only French team, things can go bad.” said Grosjean.

He further added, “It can go bad, I’m not going to lie to you. If each of the drivers wants to be THE French driver doing the job for the French team, it can go south. But, it can go really well, too. They are two guys who were not best friends when they were young, but they have matured a lot.”

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Gasly and Ocon have almost identical career graphs. Both of them have a win each. Grosjean sees this as a leveler which will do away with insecurities and, in turn, will bring out the synergy between the two. The Indycar driver in his video makes a wish, stating, “They both know what it’s like to win a race. They both have a Formula 1 win and if they fit well together and work well together, it can be a very nice and fun success story for a brand like Alpine. That’s one of my wishes.”

Pierre Gasly’s Unexpected Move to Alpine

Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement setting in motion the 2022 ‘silly season’. Fernando Alonso was quick to jump on the bandwagon and immediately made a switch to Aston Martin. The abandoned French team, after the Oscar Piastri fiasco, made a bold move and contracted Pierre Gasly.

Ocon, being the ‘host’ of the team, extended the hand of friendship. He posted a picture of the two drivers from their karting days with the caption, “We were just two little kids from Normandy with an impossible dream. And now we will be teammates in Formula 1. Welcome to the Alpine family Pierrot, let’s make our team and our country proud.”

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The only two French drivers on the grid are now set to race alongside each other in 2023 for the French team. The duo has handled the situation maturely as of now. But the fun begins in less than two months’ time. Will the drivers set aside their differences or will we see a repeat of Mercedes’ in-house rivalry of 2014-16?