Alpine lets Alonso and Ocon fight on the track

At Alpine, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso engaged in a fierce battle on the track during the Jeddah Grand Prix, to the point where they repeatedly passed each other. Other drivers joined in this duel, such as Valtteri Bottas or Kevin Magnussen. However, the Alfa Romeo of the Finnish driver managed to slip between the two Alpines and put an end to this struggle.

The team principal of Alpine, Otmar Szafnauer, admitted to being worried about this internal battle between the two drivers and wants to avoid them losing time to the rest of the pack.

« It’s a very fast track, the walls are close,” Szafnauer explained about the Jeddah circuit. « But look, they did exactly what we had talked about before the race. And it was good for everyone. If Fernando hadn’t stopped on track, we would have finished sixth and seventh. And we would have given, we gave the fans a little show. I think that’s what it’s all about. You have to let them race,” the team principal elaborated.

« It was clean, that’s what the fans want to see. And we had told them from the beginning that we would let them run. » declared Szafnauer. However, the Romanian-American was seen with his head in his hands, a sign of annoyance. « I think the only reason I did it is because we were losing more time than I had anticipated. » he confided. « And I think it’s because the track is very specific here, and also because the cars can follow each other more easily now, which was the goal of the new regulations. ».

The arrival of Valtteri Bottas in this duel has reshuffled the deck after Ocon and Alonso’s slight loss of time. « That’s exactly what we need to look at, we’re losing time only because it’s easy to keep overtaking here. And I think it’s something new. » Szafnauer revealed. « When will we tell them to stop overtaking each other? Because it’s costing us time. It’s a compromise to be found. Concluded the team principal of Alpine. »