Esteban Ocon said he was “too nice” in following Alpine’s orders to let his team mate past at the end of the race, though he initially refused to do so.
The Alpine drivers were separated by Daniel Ricciardo until he overtook Ocon with four laps to go as they approached the final corner. That brought Gasly onto Ocon’s tail, and early on the following lap Alpine called for a change of positions between their drivers.Ocon initially refused to follow the order, telling his race engineer Josh Peckett to “forget it.”
Peckett told Ocon the order had been made to allow Gasly to attack Ricciardo. Ocon asked whether he would be allowed to re-pass Gasly if his team mate was unable to take the place. Peckett told him “that’s what I’m working on.”
A lap after receiving the instruction, Ocon told the team he would let Gasly by, and pulled over at the exit of turn seven. By this time Gasly was two seconds behind Ricciardo and only a lap and a half of the race remained. He was unable to pass the RB, and was not told to give the place back to his team mate.
Ocon, who started 18th following his penalty for colliding with Gasly in Monaco, said he was “not the happiest” about the race.
“Obviously we started last and got into the points with both cars, which is amazing for the team. But I did my part of the job, being a team player, being the nice guy. But too nice, I am.”
He said it had been futile to try to get Gasly ahead of Ricciardo. “We had to let Pierre go at the end, which I’ve done,” said Ocon. “I’ve always followed the instructions that I’ve been given.
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But for no reason, really because we were not going to catch Daniel. That was the reason for the call. And obviously, I’m losing a point there.
“Being too nice is not the right attitude to have in Formula 1 but I showed that I’m a team player, and that’s what matters.”
Alpine announced earlier this week Ocon will leave the team at the end of the year.
Ocon’s messages from the end of the Canadian Grand Prix
| Peckett | Esteban, we have to let Pierre through, please. Gap behind him two seconds to Hulkenberg. |
| Ocon | What was the reason? |
| Peckett | We need to try and attack Ricciardo. |
| Ocon | Yeah, forget it! |
| Peckett | Okay, that is a request. Got three laps to go. |
| Ocon | Are you giving the place back after or not? |
| Peckett | That’s what I’m working on, stand by. |
| Ocon | Okay, I let him by. |
| Peckett | Understood. |
| Ocon | But make what’s right at the end. |
| Peckett | Watch for Hulkenberg |
Ocon let Gasly pass him exiting turn six.
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| Peckett | Esteban, the cars are not swapping places. Push to the end, please. |
| Ocon | Yeah, amazing. Thank you, amazing. Thank you |
| Peckett | Okay, radio is still latched. Okay mate. |
| Ocon | No comments. Too nice. Too nice |
| Peckett | Okay, listen. We still came 10th. We still got a point, okay? It’s a long way to go yet. Okay, I know, I know, I know. I know it’s frustrating. |
| Ocon | I’ve done what I had to do, which is the most important, but you guys didn’t do what you had to do. That’s it. |
| Peckett | Can we go scenario 10 please Esteban. It will be discussed in a bit. In the meantime normal in-lap procedure. |
| Ocon | De-rating issue was a big problem. |
| Peckett | Yeah it was. I don’t have an answer for why that is. |
| Peckett | What I’ll say is we came P10 and we started right at the back with very little hope of getting anything out of this. And most of that is down to the fact that you drove very well and kept a cool head through difficult conditions. So you should be very pleased with yourself for that. And thank you for doing that as well |
| Ocon | Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, happy to be working with you guys too, Dave and Josh. Very happy. |
| Ocon | Thanks for supporting. Thanks for supporting. |
| Peckett | Sorry mate. Long way to go. Another 16 races. |
Gasly’s messages from the end of the Canadian Grand Prix
| Howard | Esteban been instructed to let you pass. We’ve got two remaining mate. Don’t take it for granted, overtake if you can. |
| Gasly | Ocon lets Gasly pass What’s the gap with Ricciardo? |
| Howard | Ricciardo is 2.0 ahead. |
| Howard | And we have overtake available eight, 10 and 13. |
| Howard | This is the final lap. |
| Howard | Okay Pierre that’s the chequered flag. That’s P9 for us. |
| Gasly | Good job guys. |
| Howard | So we’re going to have scenario 10. We can stay recharge off. |
| Gasly | Good job it was pretty tricky on the start. Shame about the contact but very well managed on your side to get me back to the front. Pretty tricky with the hard out of the box but gave me some nice racing so good job. Another three points for the team. Very well executed. |
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2024 Canadian Grand Prix
- “He needs to be more careful”: Unheard radio messages from the Canadian Grand Prix
- Marko contradicts stewards’ reason for Red Bull and Perez penalties
- Only one F1 championship looks like a worthwhile fight in 2024
- Red Bull can fix kerb-riding without losing RB20’s major strengths – Verstappen
- Mercedes suspect Montreal track layout ‘made us look quicker’
Tristan
9th June 2024, 22:59
You’re not really being a team player if you’re just doing it because you have to for your own individual benefit. Yet making a big show of it, and complaining about it at the same time, it’s pretty funny.
I do wish F1 wasn’t this “team sport” from the drivers perspective though, when you think about it as far as improving the racing goes that’s just one less competitor for each driver, and the most evenly matched one too. But what can you do when team order seem impossible to prevent anyway…
Nick T.
10th June 2024, 7:13
This backs up my comment when I laughed at Ocon for disingenuously calling F1 “ultimately a team sport” in his statement whining about social media comments and claiming he’s always been a great team player who works well with teammates. He knows it’s not. We all know it’s not. I don’t know if he actually believes he’s always been a great teammate though. Anything is possible.
elvira
10th June 2024, 15:08
He really should have said it once and shut up.
But it’s ok because no prospective team believed he was sincere or is likely to do it again without unemployment looming anyway.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
12th June 2024, 0:52
he should have never ceded the position, hes right. Hopefully he remembers that Alpine are only using Ocon in the strictest sense and that he owes that team nothing after it’s behavior following hollywood investors and the like and all the mismanagement and firings and horrible leadership. Famine is there because he can be controlled by investors who need to feel safe about their investment, Ocon needs to realize that those investors are a joke, and keep himself out of the muck and drive completely for himself.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
9th June 2024, 23:16
“I’m too nice, I’m a team player, I always follow the instructions!” – says man who earlier refused said instruction.
hje
9th June 2024, 23:43
This ridiculous order never had any chance to work out – Ricciardo jumped whole second in just one sector, and after he built such gap, Ocon was told to let Gasly through.
With 2 laps to go. At that point Gasly already had 2 seconds to Ricciardo!
It’s more than obvious they just wanted Gasly to finish ahead, no matter what. It was simply impossible to gain 2 seconds on a single lap, and pass with DRS on the last lap.
It was all about Gasly finishing in front.
An Sionnach
10th June 2024, 11:37
I don’t know why they issued the order. It makes the team look silly, though. Sillier.
HAL
11th June 2024, 5:16
Ocon had power issue and when the order came, they was still more than 2 laps. It took a long time for Ocon to obey, leaving Gasly with just 1 lap to go…. not deliberate fron Ocon, of course.
So yeah…. you may not like team order, and certainly no driver likes them. But the request from the team made sense and was consistent with request from the past when Gasly had to let Ocon pass in the same circumstance (and was not happy about it).
In the current context, I don’t think it was smart from Ocon to play it that way and it was even more ridiculous to calll himsleft Ze teamplayer after the race. The guy has a serious psychological issue.
Tarn Burton (@yitzchak)
10th June 2024, 2:21
Ocon is a muppet. He has good racecraft, but is completely irrational if his teammate is ahead of him or directly behind him. Any team that signs him better get ready for some trashed chassis and a string of DNFs unless his teammate is a no-show.
Mayrton
10th June 2024, 10:58
I have to agree. I saw the whole interview and my conclusion was that he does not belong in any racing car. He does not have the right mental set up and also hasn’t learned anything from the feedback he has gotten so far. Time to part from him.
dragoll (@dragoll)
10th June 2024, 3:19
The team orders call with only 2 laps to go, is just crazy. In a sport where catching is one thing and passing is quite another, expecting a driver to catch 2 secs in 2 laps and pass is just ludicrous. So, of course in an environment where the tensions already running high, Ocon is making a song and dance about it, and its just absolutely driving a wedge within the team between the team wall and Ocon’s side of the garage. Alpine is fast becoming the team no one wants to be involved with and it is just absolutely gutting to see, given the rich heritage of the Enstone outfit.
GechiChan (@gechichan)
10th June 2024, 7:22
No, they sacked Ocon because he was always a problem, running into all his teammates and disobeying orders. IMO, this whole situation is 100% his doing, so don’t put this on the team. Alpine doesn’t owe him any fairness, they just preferred Gasly take the better position.
Patrick (@paeschli)
10th June 2024, 8:09
Ocon was about to finish ahead of Gasly despite his 5 place grid penalty. Obviously Alpjne did not want that to happen: Gasly is their new golden boy (despite consistently being slower than Ocon).
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
11th June 2024, 3:05
yup, French people are like that. Getting them to admit when they are wrong is literally pulling teeth. That’s why Renault suck, and never improved their power unit. No ability for introspection or honesty in the face of adversity, they are definitely not alone though. They did have a great V8 though, but they probably sacked those guys for being too good before the ‘political realignment’ in F1 prior to 2014.
HAL
11th June 2024, 5:21
Gasly consistently slower than Ocon…. Except more than half the season last year, and multiple qualy.
they are both fast and experienced, overall very close in terms of delivering result. Also bot a bit inconsistent at time. But one is a decent teamplayer (ask Yuki). The other is a bit of a basket case who crashes in all his teammate.
And you wonder why Alpine is now favouring Gasly ?
Nick T.
12th June 2024, 2:57
Both Ocon being a total tool and the order being silly can both be true at the same, which they are. There are almost endless examples of Ocon being a horrible teammate and destructive for team morale let alone unity. He’s a good driver, but not nearly good enough to get away with the crap he pulls.
Matt Clare
10th June 2024, 3:42
This guy
Nick T.
10th June 2024, 7:16
I’ve always followed the instructions that I’ve been given.
That part literally made me laugh out loud.
Jere (@jerejj)
10th June 2024, 7:28
Since the position swap went entirely unseen on the world feed, I thought Gasly had simply passed him on merit, so I was surprised when I found out afterwards that a team order call was involved.
Normally, positions get swapped again if progress doesn’t happen, but not this time, so probably more about them wanting Gasly to finish ahead anyway.
Nick T.
10th June 2024, 7:32
F1TV missed so many passes and changes of position. It also took them like ten minutes to realize Hamilton had gotten passed Alonso due to a slow pit stop and they never even showed the pit stop.
Osnola
10th June 2024, 8:45
Indeed, reporters and director missed a lot this race. To much action for them?
I.e. The several shots of a garage with nothing happening…terrible show.
But even during quali yesterday they missed the action, did not show laptimes. Shot of a car in its inlap while others are setting fast times. Messy!
Nick T.
10th June 2024, 8:50
The best that can be said is at least they weren’t constantly showing shots of celebrities, but that’s likely because they didn’t have any this weekend. I also hate how their people are all basically PR people for F1 than actual pundits. Palmer is the only one willing to say anything negative about the teams and drivers.
MichaelN
10th June 2024, 11:06
That’s no doubt part of the contract the TV broadcasters have. They usually skirt around the topic, but a few years ago Brundle was needled enough to spell it out while complaining that Villeneuve should be positive because F1 ‘gave them so much’.
Tom Clarkson really lays it on thick. Every single guest he has on the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast is this amazing guy who has set new standards for excellence and is a huge part of F1 history. It’s all a bit silly, but the conversation they have usually makes up for it.
I suppose we have to cut these guys some slack; we all make some compromises for our jobs.
Nick T.
12th June 2024, 2:47
Fair enough. I remember when Brundle was constantly giving F1 a bruising, especially when they switched to this new no wet racing, SC/RF for any car pulled off the track, etc. and then he seemed to completely cave and no longer ever says a peep about it. Guess he needs to ensure his son’s job is safe.
MichaelN
10th June 2024, 11:00
Unless there has been a switch earlier on in the race, such a pointless late-race change only makes sense if one of the drivers is in title contention. As it is, it achieved nothing and just made everyone involved look silly.
It’s incredible how these teams spend millions on managers and can’t handle a two-men line-up without constantly having these kind of shenanigans. It’s not like other sports aren’t similarly – or even more – competitive, and they handle teams with ten and even twenty+ athletes.
Alesici
10th June 2024, 11:44
The team order’s justification of maximising the team’s result made no sense – in fact it held a much greater risk of worsening the result, as Hulkenberg was only about 0.5 seconds behind the pair of them, so it could have easily resulted in a 9th and 11th finish instead.
I think in reality it was instead to cheer up Gasly a bit, as he has justifiably felt aggrieved at too many previous team orders instead going Ocon’s way.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
10th June 2024, 11:46
I wonder if Ocon was just his usual self when he said “forget it”
But then he remembered that he hasn’t signed for a team next season yet and realised he had better try to look like a team player for once?
Lyle Clarke
10th June 2024, 12:12
This is wild, what team would want him now? Any team that signs him isn’t serious enough.
Suzanne
10th June 2024, 15:44
Lyle,. Only one person you are totally correct: each quote here has good detail and excellent thinking. Here, in thr USA, we really flopped on the last 5 minutes terribly. The engineers,drivers,and spectators had a great track, and a good race. I cannot Ocon is so damaged.
CarWars (@maxv)
10th June 2024, 17:45
You call this actively disengaged. People you should fire if you want to maintain some sort of team spirit.
Dex
10th June 2024, 22:22
The only thing in common in all previous Ocon’s clashes with teammates is – O’connor himself. And he made a mess no matter who was the other driver. Perez called him unintelligent, and that explains it the best. His driving and his reactions prove it. He’s got talent, but not as much as he thinks. It’s the worst thing, arrogance without any basis. I’d never hire this guy, and I’m amazed that someone (Audi?) is going to.
He’s dull headed, has bad manners and couldn’t care less about his team(s). And he doesn’t learn from his mistakes, he repeats them every single season. I’d rather hire Stroll… At least he’s quieter.
Dex
10th June 2024, 22:23
Lol O’connor. I should turn this autocorrect off.
Why
11th June 2024, 1:52
The hatred of Ocon by the public since Brazil 2018 is frankly one of the most bizarre collective delusions I’ve seen across any topic in my entire life.
Nick T.
12th June 2024, 2:49
You’re adorable.