Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso have come to blows numerous times in recent weeks, with the Spaniard becoming very vocal about his discontent with his team this season.
Alonso has blamed Alpine for favouring Ocon, as he has experienced an extreme amount of mechanical issues this season which he puts down to his team’s preference for his teammate.
The pair collided in Brazil, and while Alonso was furious with his teammate for the damage that he picked up as a result of the contact, the FIA deemed the Spaniard at fault and handed him a penalty.
Ocon has now responded to Alonso’s comments, expressing his disappointment at the 41-year-old’s decision to make his views public before speaking to him and his team.
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“Of course I was disappointed by this comments in the press that were not made internally,” Ocon told reporters.
“We didn’t have any discussions about any of that, so I will keep the respect I have for him. But it’s good that he’s going to Aston Martin and that we’re going our own way.
“Honestly, the work was 98 per cent on my back and 2 per cent on his. I was overworked. I did all the development on the simulator, the marketing…”
Ocon has said a public outburst is not the sort of thing that he could see himself doing, preferring to keep his opinions quiet as to not hinder the progress of his team.
“I am the driver who thinks the most before doing something risky,” he said.
“I am aware of what lies ahead and all the people who work so hard to give us the opportunity. I won’t spoil it because of me.”
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This is not the first time that Alonso’s relationship with a team has become toxic, with the Spaniard famously becoming annoyed at McLaren’s failure to provide him with a competitive car.
Alonso let the team know his discontent with a flood of radio messages about how poor he believed McLaren’s car was, leading to a bitter end of his relationship with the team.
Aston Martin have suggested that they are aware of Alonso’s tendency to become a problem within the team when things are not going how he would expect them to, but are confident of keeping the veteran happy by maintaining an open and honest dialogue with the driver about what they believe is possible.