“Totally Illogical” – Villeneuve Lashes Out at Esteban Ocon Over the Heart-Stopping Jeddah Duel With Fernando Alonso

The Jeddah circuit saw some intense battles, battles which made sense. However, the two Alpines fighting it out throughout the race needlessly was something viewers found difficult to understand. Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon were hungry for that P6 as they risked crashing or exhausting their engine. Several situations emerged where it felt like one of them wouldn’t mind taking the other out of the competition.

Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso were at each other’s throats

Funnily enough, Alpine camp allowed the two drivers to have at it. The French team, notably, made a mistake as ultimately they risked points and Alonso even faced a car malfunction. The Spaniard was out of the race a few laps before the end, and though Ocon kept his P6, the overall result was tarnished.

While Ocon and Alonso could’ve comfortably settled for P6 and P7, their battle caused the team the bigger loss. Fans were harder on Esteban because he seemed a lot more determined to overtake his partner. Canadian racing driver Jacques Villeneuve complained, “I was less impressed with Esteban Ocon. Why would you battle hard with your own teammate in the early stages of the race?”

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“You risk your own tyres and those of Fernando Alonso and harm your team. Totally illogical, it made no sense. I also think that someone like Ocon who has been in Formula 1 for a while now should know by now when to fight and when not to fight so aggressively,” he concluded.

No room for mistakes

Well, he’s not wrong, as this is a question that arose for many. It makes little sense to fight for one place so early on and risk each other’s cars, and comfortable top 10 positions. Despite Fernando not finishing, he showed great valor as he smartly overtook Ocon several times, and displayed his on-track skills.

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The Frenchman is not new to Formula One, as rightly pointed out, and shouldn’t be taking such risks. We as well as their team expect both the Alpine drivers to do better and rather support each other. The French team is very much capable of finishing in the top 4, with McLaren struggling heavily. Hence, they should be more careful this season as every point matters.