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via Imago

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It’s not been easy for Esteban Ocon, to make it to Formula 1. Not being endowed with a rich background, the French driver slogged his way to the top. Naturally, now that he is here, he has that extra bit of punch in his driving. Arguably, however, that hasn’t always gone down too well with his teammates and rivals. With Pierre Gasly, Ocon shares a public teenage grudge. Safe to say, this pairing can be one of the most combustible this sport has ever seen.

Last year, Fernando Alonso was on the receiving end of Ocon’s aggression on multiple occasions. With it all culminating at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Alonso blasted the Frenchman by saying, “I don’t need [to talk to Ocon]. It’s one more race and then it’s over, finally. I was very close to the wall in Jeddah, close to the wall in Budapest, today in Turn 4 and now here. It’s the way things are, sometimes it’s very competitive inside the team. It happened to him with [Sergio] Perez [at Force India], with [Max] Verstappen unlapping himself [in Brazil, 2018].” 

Pierre Gasly dispels Fernando Alonso accusations

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You’d have expected Gasly to concur with Alonso, given his history with Ocon. However, surprisingly, the Frenchman has given the past up. In a recent interview, Gasly publicly chose to defend Ocon with a tilted jab at Alonso’s accusations from last year.

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He said, “We’ve known each other since we were 9 years old, now 18. Obviously we know each other very well and we have our ups and downs, everyone knows that. During this season we have both gone forward,” to Mundo Deportivo. Gasly then went on to suggest that maybe Alonso was the problem.

“I want the best for the team and to be the best, I same for him. So far it’s been very easy to work with him.” [translated via Google Translate]

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Gasly and Ocon seem to actually operate as a team. A testament to this is the Monaco GP weekend.

Gasly rejoices in Esteban Ocon and his Monaco glory

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While Gasly finished seventh overall, his teammate clinched a historic podium for Alpine in Monaco. What’s more? Rather than sulking in the aftermath, Gasly seems to have enjoyed his teammate’s podium for a very important reason.

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When quizzed about it, he said, “Monaco was the best weekend of the year. It is important to know why the car was so good. After that GP there are many more smiles in the garage. The mood and mind is very positive and it is important to maintain that. I am very happy for the team because it hasn’t been the best start to the year for all of us.”

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Can Gasly and Ocon make Alpine a championship winning outfit?