"I had to squeeze Lewis because of that tube" - Alpine's Esteban Ocon disagrees with 'frustrating' 2022 F1 Imola GP penalty

Esteban Ocon was left frustrated with the Imola GP stewards’ decision to penalize him for an unsafe release during his pit stop in the early stages of the race.

The Frenchman crossed the finish line in P11 but was demoted to P13 after his five-second penalty was added to his race time.

Speaking to RaceFans at the post-race media session, he said:

“It’s a little bit frustrating, for sure. We’re P11 and of course with that unsafe release, five seconds, that hurts our position."

After his pit stop, Esteban Ocon exited the pits and almost collided with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in the fast lane.

The stewards deemed Ocon was released from the pits in an unsafe manner. However, he revealed that a wheel gun hose at the Alpha Tauri garage prevented him from taking a straighter line out of his pit box while trying to avoid running over the hose.

He added:

“But I think what hurt that is really the tube that was left quite in the middle, almost at the fast lane. I had to squeeze Lewis because of that tube that was hanging.”

Ocon said he knew where Hamilton was when he exited his pits and that without the hose, “there would have been space” for both. He explained:

“I was aware when I had to avoid the tube and then I saw he was there. It’s tight but of course it’s not safe to be that close to another car, that’s clear.”

Meanwhile, Ocon didn’t receive any penalty points on his F1 super license as the stewards felt that Alpine was more responsible for the incident.

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“Very talented” Oscar Piastri will get an F1 seat soon: Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon is convinced that Alpine’s junior driver Oscar Piastri will be racing in F1 soon, given his impressive resume.

Speaking to the media ahead of the Imola GP, he said:

"Oscar is a great guy. I’m very sure he’s going to have a seat in Formula 1 shortly. I don’t know where in the paddock, but opportunity comes for the ones who deserve it.

"And Oscar is one of them. He’s won all the major titles and he’s very professional and dedicated. So yeah, I’m sure you will see him around pretty soon."

Alpine have been desperately trying to get Piastri an F1 seat as soon as possible following Fernando Alonso’s commitment to the team.

With Piastri being deemed part of the French outfit’s future in F1, the team wants to give him a much-needed hands-on experience before he eventually replaces Alonso.