Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly's imminent rivalry as teammates has already been kickstarted in a fun little video segment by the team.
In an Alpine commercial shot involving the two drivers, they can be seen racing each other as Otmar Szafnaeur waits for the two in the office. Ironically, the little video commercial could be seen as a prelude to the 2023 F1 season as both drivers gear up to fight each other on the track in the same cars.
Looking ahead to the season, team boss Otmar Szafnaeur has already made it clear that he primarily expects Esteban Ocon to be a bit more circumspect while racing his teammate. He told Motorsport:
“He needs to probably make better judgements when his teammates are next to him, because you don’t win it on the first lap, team-mate or not. And if you’re aggressive against a competitor, and you both go out, you both lose. If you’re aggressive against the teammate, and you both go out, guess who loses? So it’s just that better judgement and get them later. If we need reminders, I’m happy to remind him."
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon is more relaxed and calm within the team now
Esteban Ocon did not expect any friction between himself and Pierre Gasly going into 2023 as he revealed how things had changed within the team. The Alpine driver stated that he has been with the team for more than a decade and has since seen many new faces join in. Under Otmar Szafnaeur's leadership, he felt there was more security and that should help him stay calm. He said:
“I went to Enstone for the first time in 2010, so 12 years ago, and it’s crazy, I’ve seen a lot of change. We are obviously settled for a long time, which feels great. We have great leadership with Otmar, with Laurent [Rossi, Alpine CEO], with Luca. I think it’s a fantastic team. They are giving us positive pressure. It’s not the bad pressure, you need to perform otherwise it would be over. It’s completely different. It’s the passion of racing, of motorsport. Since Laurent, Luca and Otmar have joined, I feel definitely more relaxed and I feel good. That’s why I should be super calm.”
Alpine will be hoping that both the drivers are able to keep their heads as the team tries to take the next step towards the front of the grid.