Esteban Ocon struggled beyond his potentialAlpine A524 to Jeddah

Esteban Ocon will perhaps have given everything in Jeddah at the wheel of his Alpine, but that was not enough. The Frenchman was unable to collect points on Saturday during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing in 13th place. However, it was with the feeling of duty accomplished that the Norman reacted to the Canal+ microphone at the end of the race.

Starting from the back of the grid in 17th place, Esteban Ocon took advantage of the intervention of the safety car to move up a few positions and find himself in a position to fight for 10th-11th place. However, theAlpine A524 was never able to get rid of Kevin Magnussen, who played his teammate's game at Haas, Nico Hulkenberg, slowing down the pack behind him to let the German score the point for 10th place. Despite all their efforts, the Habs failed more than 30 seconds from the points.

“I think we had a good race. We maximized the potential we had in our hands… and even more, underlines Esteban Ocon. We shouldn't really have found ourselves in 11th place at one point, with the speed we had. We managed to make our way through all the chaos there was, with Magnussen trying to slow us down. It was a good race from that point of view, but it wasn't enough to score points today. We still lack speed. We keep our heads on the handlebars and we will continue to analyze all this to find performance for the next races. »

🎙️ “We maximized the potential… and even more”

Esteban Ocon finishes in 13th place 🇫🇷#SaudiArabianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/9OysDVme5h

— CANAL+ F1® (@CanalplusF1) March 9, 2024

Esteban Ocon advocates patience for developments

The ordeal therefore continues for Alpine, which remains on zero points in the first two rounds of the season. The A arrow is still last in the Manufacturers' championship, and the situation is unlikely to change any time soon. “We will have to be patient [for developments]. We work to provide solutions, says Esteban Ocon. I will be at the factory this week to find answers and ways to help the team. We're maximizing everything we can right now. Thank you to all [the fans] for the support, it’s heartwarming. »

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