Alpine’s driver line-up in 2023 will hopefully be a lot more of a harmonious one than the partnership they harboured this year, with Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon becoming involved in numerous spats with each other over the course of the season.
Alonso made repeated jabs at his teammate in the media, claiming that he received more favourable treatment from Alpine while he was forced to suffer with an unreliable car.
The pair collided at the Brazilian Grand Prix during the sprint race, which forced both drivers to start the main race from the bottom quarter of the grid despite a strong qualifying.
The two drivers clearly did not get along toward the end of their time together at Alpine, but following Alonso’s move to Aston Martin, Ocon has spoken surprisingly highly about his time with the Spaniard.
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“Together we really made a step with this team, helping it reach new levels,” he claimed.
“I will never say it’s perfect but at times we executed close to perfect. In Brazil for example, we both executing our races perfectly.
“These are things I didn’t feel we did when I joined Renault. Pretty pleased with our two years, let’s beat him next year.”
Alonso will be replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin next season, while Ocon will be partnered with fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly following his transfer from AlphaTauri.
The two French drivers have had their problems in the past, having shared a frosty relationship while battling against each other in the junior categories, however, Alpine are confident of both drivers putting their issues behind them and working well together at the French team.
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Team CEO Laurent Rossi has warned both drivers that a failure to show maturity during their time at Alpine could be detrimental to their careers, suggesting that this could be their last chance to show they have matured since their younger years.
Ferando Alonso on the other hand will be partnered with Lance Stroll at Aston Martin, meaning the pair will quickly have to bury the hatchet of their collision earlier this year in Austin, where the Canadian’s risky defending launched Alonso airborne.
The 41-year-old has expressed his excitement to be joining Aston Martin in recent weeks, claiming that he has been impressed with the quality of their engineers and staff since his arrival.