Gasly ‘Focused’ on Azerbaijan after ‘Bitter’ Ending to Australian Grand Prix

A promising race for the BWT Alpine F1 Team unravelled in a spectacular way in the Australian Grand Prix, with Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon crashing out together at turn two after the chaotic lap fifty-seven restart at Albert Park.

Gasly had been playing a starring role in his third race for Alpine and was on course for a top five finish only for his race end abruptly after crashing with Ocon. The former Scuderia AlphaTauri driver ran wide at turn one and was unaware of his team-mate on the outside, the two colliding as a result.

Stewards in Australia investigated the incident but deemed no penalty was necessary for either driver, which will be a relief for Gasly as he sits only two penalty points away from a one-race ban.

“I’m very disappointed in the outcome of today’s race,” Gasly said after the race.  “We were in fifth place for most of it, chasing Carlos [Sainz Jr.] for fourth place and we showed really good race pace.

“For us to be so close to scoring ten points and leaving without any is a bitter one for us to take. Right now, we must focus on the positives and that is how we managed our race and how we were able to take the fight to our rivals ahead.

“I’m glad both Esteban and I are OK after the incident. As a team, we’ll move on and keep focused for the next race.”

“We’re all good and there’s no hard feelings” – Esteban Ocon

Ocon had recovered to run inside the top ten after a pitting early to switch to the hard compound tyre, but he too was disappointed his race ended in a collision with his team-mate.

The Frenchman says the two drivers were able to talk about the incident post-race and clear the air, although he knows it is far from ideal that it was his team-mate that he was involved in a crash with.

However, what pleased Ocon most was the fact that Alpine were able to show the same kind of pace as the likes of Scuderia Ferrari and the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula 1 Team in Australia.

“It’s a real shame for both cars not to finish today’s race, especially after showing great pace all weekend,” Ocon said.  “We had the performance to be fighting the Ferraris and the Aston Martins, so to walk away with nothing is a tough one for all of us.

“The restart at the end was very chaotic and everything went so fast. The clash with Pierre was unfortunate and I’m glad we’re both OK. We’ve spoken about it, and we’re all good and there’s no hard feelings.

“We’re both already looking forward to the next one and I know the whole team will want to put this weekend behind us.”

Esteban Ocon was pleased with Alpines pace in Australia – Credit: BWT Alpine F1 Team