Ocon praises Alpine for 'never putting a foot wrong' in Monaco
Esteban Ocon says his Alpine team performed flawlessly for the duration of a Monaco Grand Prix weekend that the Frenchman concluded on the third step of the podium.
Ocon was able to fend off attacks from Ferrari's Carlos Sainz in the first half of the race, although a contact between the pair at the Nouvelle Chicane nearly ended both drivers' afternoon.
The Alpine charger was among those that made two pitstops in the action-packed event, first switching from mediums to hards after 33 laps and then changing to intermediates 20 laps later when light rain set in.
After the race, a jubilant Ocon congratulated his Alpine crews for a job well done from start to finish, including the team's preparation period in Enstone.
"We’ve done it," said an elated Ocon after the race. "What a super weekend from everyone at the team!
"From the first day, from the simulator really. All the practice sessions we improved the car, from beginning to end, and we didn’t make a wrong foot any time, even when we put the inter tyres it was the perfect lap to do so."
The semi-wet conditions in the final stages of the race proved challenging for many drivers, including for race winner Max Verstappen who touched the barriers several times.
But Ocon wasn't caught out by the track's treacherous lack of grip in many areas.
"I touched the wall enough yesterday," he said. "I didn’t today. It gives less of a heart attack to the team!"
Ocon's third place finish was his third career podium in F1 and his first since his dramatic upset win in Hungary in 2021.
And the performance will likely go a long way towards boosting the spirits of a team that was put on notice recently by Alpine boss Laurent Rossi for its poor results.
"I’m just enjoying the moment now," Ocon added. "It’s been a while since I’ve been on the podium and I hope this is the first of many."
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