Alpine duo reflect on troubled relationship after ‘$30 million’ podiums
Alpine duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have reflected on their troubled F1 relationship after scooping a double podium in the Sao Paulo GP.
The two Frenchman finished second and third at Interlagos in a result which lifted Alpine from ninth to sixth in the constructors’ in a move that could bring the team an estimated $30 million in extra prize money at the end of the season.
Despite their close childhood as karting friends in Northern France, Ocon and Gasly have had at times a strained relationship, including in F1.
Their two-three result was the best for ‘Team Enstone’ since a similar result for Romain Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen at the 2013 Korean GP, with Gasly reflecting on the “very personal relationship” with his soon-to-be-ex-team-mate.
“I don’t think anyone can understand, it’s a very personal relationship between Esteban and myself,” he told media including RacingNews365.
“But we’ve been going through so much, all these times we’ve had, like over winter, minus 5 degrees outside, we were the only ones showing up at the go-kart track, going out in the rain, in the snow, on slick tyres at 9, 10, 11 years old.
“We’ve really practised these conditions. And on a day like this, I can tell you this actually made the difference, all that practice.
“I remember us getting back in the truck and trying to get warm after a few laps because we were absolutely freezing. And it’s just that we’ve had our ups and downs.
“But in this two-year chapter as team-mates, I think we can be very proud of the way we’ve pushed the team forward.”
Ocon adds Gasly thoughts
Adding his thoughts after his fourth podium with Renault/Alpine, Ocon continued with Gasly’s flashback to winters in Normandy when the pair were children.
“I am extremely happy and proud of Pierre and me, to be honest,” he said.
“We’ve had our stories at times, but it was incredible to do that last [in] lap, there were a lot of flashbacks to my memories when we were racing in the wet in go-karts, when we were young, even in the snow with the slick tyres.
“We were both racing together and waiting for the podium or the win to come. And this tastes a bit like that.
“It is a beautiful story from where we come from, and one that will for sure forever stay engraved [on my mind].”
