Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Summary of French-speaking drivers: Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon did not shine in Italy. Having a very poor qualifying session, he started from 19th place on the starting grid, behind Nicholas Latifi and Pierre Gasly.

A detrimental contact

The first few laps were quite satisfying for Ocon, whose good start allowed him to climb up the rankings. By the end of the first lap, Esteban Ocon had gained a few positions, eventually finding himself behind Lewis Hamilton, who was twelfth on the track. While the first third of the race went smoothly, an incident between the British driver and Esteban Ocon cost the Frenchman precious seconds.

On the 20th lap, Ocon made his first pit stop, just like the Mercedes driver. However, Esteban Ocon was released too early and narrowly avoided a collision with Lewis Hamilton in the pitlane. Three laps later, the race officials announced a five-second penalty for Ocon.

A battle for the top 10.

At the halfway point, the Frenchman managed to catch up with Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin, who was battling Yuki Tsunoda on the Italian track. However, the AMR22 stayed in front and denied Esteban Ocon a top 10 finish.

In the end, Ocon crossed the finish line in eleventh position but suffered the consequences of his incident. The five-second penalty announced during the race relegates the Frenchman to fourteenth place in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon is now preparing for the Miami Grand Prix and has high expectations for the improvements Alpine plans to make by then.