Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon future teammates at Alpine

Who would have believed it at the beginning of the summer? Who would have bet on the meeting of the two French pilots at Alpine in 2023? The sequence of events in August on the Formula 1 chessboard, with the French team running out of pilots
, has just come to this long unimaginable outcome: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will be teammates next year. They still have to (re)build a relationship after their tough clashes in karting.

Friends then rivals

They were born in 1996, in Rouen (Gasly) and Évreux (Ocon) before growing up in families that were passionate about motorsport. Inevitably Pierre and Esteban got to know each other quickly in the world of karting, at first good friends in the atmosphere of regional races. Then the tensions appeared at the time of delighting the first rungs. A sporting rivalry coupled with an economic reality: they had to find sponsors to finance ever more expensive seasons, in national and then international championships. The dream of a career in motorsport comes at a price that the Gasly and Ocon families could not afford alone. To convince the indispensable sponsors, it was therefore necessary to win. Including in front of the childhood friend. Hence some tensions and clashes that have never been completely forgotten. But with a blocked future in the Red Bull sector
.

Respect but distance since their arrival in Formula 1

The two Normans had the immense merit of reaching the ultimate goal of Formula 1 with talent. But they have always kept a certain distance since 2017, the year when fate brought them together on a starting grid. On the tracks, Gasly and Ocon, who have passed the milestone of 100 Grands Prix contested, have made a very clean copy in their direct confrontations. The only crash with retirement dates back to the 2018 French Grand Prix
and neither of them was frankly responsible. Last year their Alpine and AlphaTauri teams were battling for fifth place in the championship. The Gasly-Ocon match was tough but decent, a sign that their professionalism behind the wheel has never been affected by past antagonisms. But they never appeared side by side in private. And both always avoid the subject of their stormy past relationship.

Esteban Ocon candid about his preference for 2023

Asked about his future teammate on the sidelines of the Grand Prix of Holland, before the formalization of Gasly, Esteban Ocon could have kicked in touch without giving the slightest name. But he opted instead for the franchise by speaking out for Mick Schumacher, the German son of the seven-time world champion and incidentally one of his relatives in the brotherhood of pilots. An act of sincerity from the Ebroïcien in the often muffled universe of public words in Formula 1.

An uncertain balance of power

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have spent their entire careers in teams that could not win on a regular basis, except for the failed half-season of the Rouennais at Red Bull in 2019. Both had strong nerves to seek victory the only time an opportunity opened up to them: Gasly at the 2020 Italian GP
then Ocon in Hungary 2021
. Objectively difficult to establish a hierarchy between the two Normans….

Esteban Ocon will however have an advantage: Renault driver, then Alpine, since 2020 and under contract until 2024
, he knows all the technical teams perfectly and he is respected in all the chassis and engine departments. The Ébroïcien is an ambassador for the brand, with a role that goes beyond a simple racing driver. Pierre Gasly arrives in a totally new universe after eight years in the Red Bull industry. His exile in Japan in 2017 had however demonstrated real adaptability. Another parameter: Esteban Ocon has always faced formidable teammates. Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and – above all – Fernando Alonso. He knows how to live in an ultra-competitive internal environment. Pierre Gasly had only one size in his paws: Max Verstappen, for 12 Grands Prix in 2019 before Norman’s demotion
, so great was the difference. The now ex-AlphaTauri driver will find a neighbor in the garage, therefore a point of reference, more specialized than the Tsunoda, Kvyat and Hartley that he has dominated since his arrival in the queen discipline of motorsport.

A story to (re)write to continue to grow

The arrival of Pierre Gasly in blue shows Alpine’s ambition for 2023 The team does not choose the ease of recruiting a Mick Schumacher, freed from his membership of Ferrari and with a personality that is necessarily more “Ocon compatible” No the Blues struggled with Red Bull to release Gasly from his last year of contract with the Austrian branch. The Normand corresponds to the profile of the pilot who is at the same time fast, experienced and thirsty for victories.

It remains to reach a cordial understanding of this duo long deemed unthinkable. The worst would be to see Alpine forced to impose the instruction not to attack them on the track, often the ultimate solution for teams faced with an internal war. But neither of the two Normans would come out a winner in a stormy confrontation to the detriment of their employer. Because a team cannot afford to lose points (therefore prize money according to the manufacturer’s ranking) because of a driver’s behavior deemed too individualistic. Alpine is heading for fourth place in the constructor’s championship in 2022, its best result since Renault’s return in 2016. To aim higher, the team will need two drivers capable of completely forgetting their old disputes. For the good of all. Including theirs.