Frenchman Esteban Ocon said he was “surprised” by the rapid progress made by his Alpine single-seater in recent weeks after the introduction of new features on his car on Thursday on the sidelines of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix
“Me and the team were surprised. We expected a gain but we did not think that the improvements made to the car would bring such progress in terms of performance, especially on Saturday,” he explained during a press briefing.
“It’s really great news, although there is still a lot of work to do. We are not backing down, we are not stagnating, but on the contrary we are moving forward and it is really important so we are all happy, ”added Ocon, who had won an unexpected podium in Monaco (3rd) at the end of May.
His team-mate and compatriot Pierre Gasly expected the new features to improve his car’s performance, but not as quickly.
“Last season the team had shown that improvements lead to progress, that was one of Alpine’s main strengths so I had faith in the team to improve our performance after our somewhat slow start this season. “, he said Thursday at a press conference.
“But clearly it was a very good surprise to see such progress so quickly and that we were able to get a podium in Monaco and set the fourth fastest time in qualifying in Barcelona. The car really seems to have a lot of potential, that’s why I’m quite confident for the coming weekends. There are good points to look for, ”he judged.
In Canada, the Alpine single-seaters, which have both finished in the points in the last three races, will try to maintain their momentum and be more consistent throughout the weekend as they tend to lack a bit of rhythm on Sunday during the Grand Prix.
“Right now we’re fast in qualifying but we’re a little slower in the race,” said Ocon. We have ways to improve that, but getting there is something else. We are working on it, we are experimenting and we will try to put it in place.
The French team, fourth best team last year, is currently fifth in the provisional constructors’ classification but it will have a hard time slipping into the top four this season with the unexpected emergence of Aston Martin alongside the three behemoths Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.
However, after a sluggish start to the season with only eight points scored in the first four races, Alpine has raised the bar recently.
