Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso wrote in 24 laps the manual of what not to do between teammates in F1 in a Sprint that could have finally reopened the race for fourth place in the Constructors’ standings. The two Alpine drivers collided at the Descida do Lago on the first lap and on the starting straight a few kilometers later.
Fernando Alonso had to replace his front wing and finished in 15th position, a position that was transformed into a definitive 18th place since he was penalized by five seconds for contact with Ocon on the straight. The French rider therefore finished 17th, but then his Alpine it went up in flames in Parc Fermé probably due to the damage reported to the cooling system on the right side, the one that had contact with Alonso both on the first lap and shortly after.
“It’s a shame for the team what happened – Ocon’s words – I think that’s the thing that’s on my mind right now because we were in a great position as we start back tomorrow. We have to work together to try and come back again. I got up to Norris’ McLaren, went on the inside, lifted my foot at the last moment and then took my corner, but Fernando was already on the outside and I couldn’t do anything. At that point my race was over, I suffered a lot of damage and we definitely lost a lot of points.”
Ocon and Alonso will find themselves side by side today in the ninth row at the start of the Brazilian Grand Prix even if a further retreat by Ocon cannot be ruled out in the light of the problems his Alpine had in Parc Fermé which could push the French team to introduce new components at the power unit level or to decide to start from the pit lane if only to ‘separate’ the two drivers who don’t seem willing to put the team’s interests ahead of their own.
