Reluctant to Rest on Monaco’s Laurels, Esteban Ocon Posts an Uphill Challenge for Alpine Before the Canadian GP

Alpine has had an upward-sloping performance graph as they get better with the passing of time. From a double DNF in Australia to a podium in Monaco, the French team has come a long way. At Monaco, it was Esteban Ocon who stood P3 on the podium for Alpine. But he has already forgotten about Monaco as he sets his eyes on future progress, starting with the Canadian GP.

Alpine had a slow start to the 2023 season. But after the Azerbaijan GP, they have scored points in all the races. Esteban Ocon credits the entire team for such improved performances.  As they are also helping the team inch their way up the championship standings. However, what has passed cannot be changed nor hung on to. The Enstone outfit is now focused on Montreal as they aim to achieve targets set at the beginning of the year.

Ocon commented on Alpine’s plans for Montreal and the demanding nature of the track. According to Motorsport Week, he said in a press release, “Most corners in Montréal come as a double change of direction, which requires good responsiveness from the car, so set-up is very important. There are also the walls which make it exciting to drive and keeps us on our toes.”

Esteban further added, “The track surface in Montreal is usually quite smooth but tire degradation in the race is normally relatively high as we use the softest compound of tires. Combined with the stop-and-go nature of the track, this improves the chances of overtaking which can make it an entertaining Grand Prix.”

Read More: Amid Esteban Ocon’s Podium Celebrations, Pierre Gasly Rips Alpine’s Dodgy Tactics to Shreds in a Fiery Public Rant

Given the rich vein of form Alpine is enjoying, Esteban Ocon would want to capitalize on this & not stay reveling about their Monaco podium laurels. So nailing the set-up in Canada may be an uphill but welcome challenge for the Boys in Blue. Pierre Gasly also echoed Ocon’s views & is also looking forward to racing in Montreal.

Pierre Gasly Echoes Esteban Ocon as Alpine Gets Ready for Canadian GP

Though Ocon and his teammate, Pierre Gasly haven’t gotten along in the past, Alpine needs their relationship to improve so that they have a good chance to fight more podiums. One good thing for the Enstone team is that Pierre Gasly’s comments on the Canadian GP reverberate with Esteban’s. Even Gasly likes the quick corners & hard braking zones of the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

Gasly also said that they expect rain at the Canada race and Alpine is ready for anything thrown their way. In addition, he mentioned that he feels more at ease as Montreal is a French-speaking city. According to GP Blog, Gasly said, “The weather does look interesting – rain is likely – so we’ll remain ready for all conditions and see what we can achieve.”

Though Alpine messed up Gasly’s race in a rain-filled Monaco GP, he is optimistic about the conditions in Canada. Will the French duo drivers perform better in Canada or will there be an unfortunate repeat of their past mistakes?

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