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Esteban Ocon Set to Receive a Hostile Reminder to Prevent Yet Another Civil War: “Get Them Later”

Published 01/11/2023, 10:00 AM EST

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Team Alpine has been one of the most talked about squads in the last year. Amidst battling for the fourth spot in the constructor’s championship, the team had undergone a change in the driver’s lineup. After Fernando Alonso decided to cut ties with the French team, Pierre Gasly was signed as his replacement. And now, when the season will start in the next few months, team principal Otmar Szafnauer has a fair reminder for the Frenchman Esteban Ocon.

Esteban Ocon might cause the squad a little trouble this season after having a respectable season prior. It’s true that the Frenchman is infamous for his aggression in tight proximity with teammates. To quickly recap, the Alpine driver made several contacts with Sergio Perez when racing at Force India, and an incident involving Fernando Alonso that occurred at the Brazilian circuit was an addition to that list. The team’s principal Otmar Szafnauer is concerned about Esteban Ocon’s aggression, as the team has entered a new year with a fresh partnership and, because of his past disputes with Gasly during their junior years, Szafnauer doesn’t want to face any loss.

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Talking to GP fans in an interview, the 58-year-old said, “He needs to probably make better judgments when his teammates are next to him because you don’t win it on the first lap, team-mate or not, If you’re aggressive against a competitor and you both go out, you both lose. If you’re aggressive against your teammate and you both go out, guess who loses? It’s just that better judgment. Get them later.” Adding further he said, “If we need reminders, I’m happy to remind him.”

In several podcasts and interviews, Pierre Gasly has opted to speak out about his relationship with the 26-year-old. Ocon, though, has remained mute. However, he broke his silence when the team introduced Gasly as his new comrade.

Esteban Ocon finally breaks his silence on his relationship with Pierre Gasly

Both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly grew up close to Normandy. Furthermore, they have been friends since their karting days. But while they fought on the rails, their close relationship soon gave way to a rivalry that was just as intense. Since then, their chilly relationship has been kept a secret. Therefore, one can’t help but be interested in their existing team dynamics.

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The 26-year-old rarely spoke about his relationship with Pierre Gasly, but when the former driver of AlphaTauri announced his move to Alpine, Ocon finally spoke out. Talking to Sky Sports F1, Ocon said, “We are a lot more mature, a lot more responsible and at the end of the day we have a common target. We both want to be competitive, we both want to be fighting at the front. And we know to achieve that we have to work together for the team. I’m quite excited about it. It’s an opportunity for both of us to get back to a similar relationship that we had in the past.”

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The team will surely want to move up from P4 to the podium. However, both drivers must give 200% to make that possible. Given that, do you think Pierre Gasly’s joining the squad will alter Alpine’s course of events?

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Written by:

Aditya Srivastava

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Aditya Srivastava is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. Although he has completed his undergrad in History, due to his passion for the field, he couldn't hold himself back from entering the world of Sports Journalism. Being a huge fan of Formula 1, Aditya has taken up multiple internships and freelancing gigs where he got to pen down his thoughts about the most prestigious form of motor racing in the world.
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Edited by:

Akash Pandhare