Esteban Ocon, a Formula 1 driver from Alpine, claims that his best season in the sport so far lacked only a podium finish.
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Ocon was eighth in the drivers’ standings at the end of the 2022 season, 11 points ahead of Fernando Alonso, who admittedly took the brunt of Alpine’s reliability troubles. Ocon’s year didn’t have an absolute highlight, like his unexpected victory in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, but he claims that 2022 was his most complete season as a driver overall. I believe it does. The only podium I ultimately missed this year is one, according to Ocon, who is currently in his seventh full-time season in Formula 1. But due to various reasons, we were unable to receive them; maybe, we will receive some of them the next year.
“We achieved every goal we set for ourselves. In the constructors’ championship, we came in fourth place. In terms of points, it has also been my strongest Formula 1 season. “I’m really happy with it; the entire crew did a great job in developing the car over the course of a year. For the following year, hopefully we can narrow the margin even further.
To the question of how much of a victory it was for Ocon to surpass Alonso and finish eighth in the championship, Ocon responded: “As well, I struggled. I’d say it feels good, it feels good. He drives very, very quickly. I had to step it up as much as possible. This year, it feels fantastic to finish ahead of him.” In the fight for fourth place in the constructors’ championship, Alpine’s reliability issues also gave McLaren an opening. However, despite being outperformed by faster McLarens in Abu Dhabi, the Enstone team was able to secure the position, making the fight perhaps less straightforward than it should have been.
“Yes, we were the fourth-best squad, but McLaren was sometimes very quick and beat us early in the season. Therefore, in the beginning of the year, things were not as simple as they seem “Ocon fessed up. While two-time world champion Alonso is switching to Aston Martin, Ocon will be joined at Alpine in 2023 by fellow countryman Pierre Gasly, who cut his links with Red Bull and AlphaTauri.
