Ocon pleased with Alpine F1 progress

Esteban Ocon has reflected on the progress he saw within the Alpine Formula 1 team over the course of the 2021 season.

Ocon won the Hungarian Grand Prix, his first F1 success and the first for the organisation since Kimi Raikkonen claimed honours in 2013 at Albert Park (when the operation was known as the Lotus F1 Team).

His experienced team-mate, Fernando Alonso also stood on the podium in a season which saw the team finish fifth in the constructors’ championship.

“Everything we did inside, operationally, taking strategy decisions, looking after the tyres, looking after the car itself, and getting the maximum out of it, I think it’s been huge progress,” Ocon said of the 2021 season.

“Of course, we got two podiums, almost three.

“We’ve a car that didn’t perform as good as [2020] – I think we had not as good of a package, but we’ve still managed to overcome these issues, get on top of it, and still score very decent points.

“We want to keep going,” he added.

“Once we are going to have the pace, I think we are going to be quite dangerous.”

Alpine is set to launch its 2022 car on February 23, the morning pre-season testing gets underway in Spain.

It’s been a bumpy off-season for the squad with experienced figures such as Marcin Budkowski and Alain Prost both departing the Enstone operation.

Australian youngster Oscar Piastri has joined its ranks for the coming season, working as reserve driver.

That will see him in attendance at events along with performing a busy simulator and testing programme of his own in support of the team’s efforts.

Alonso enters the coming campaign in the final year of a two-year contract with the team while Ocon inked a new deal that will see him remain where he is until the end of 2024.