Esteban Ocon had a big smile on his face after the Japanese Grand Prix, and rightfully so: the Frenchman simply achieved his best result of the year – and Alpine’s best result overall – by finishing in fourth position! The Normandy native also had an excellent Saturday in qualifying, securing fifth place on the starting grid. During the race, he managed to withstand the pressure from Lewis Hamilton, taking advantage of favorable weather conditions.<\/p>\n
Thanks to this result and Fernando Alonso’s seventh place, Alpine was able to regain fourth position in the constructors’ championship, ahead of McLaren. Finishing fourth is a fantastic result for us, especially in these conditions. The start was difficult with the rain and poor visibility, so we had to be completely focused to get through the early stages, explained Esteban Ocon after the race.<\/p>\n
The Frenchman was indeed very satisfied with the battle against the seven-time world champion: \u00ab I am happy that we were able to race and reward the fans who were so supportive throughout the weekend. Racing against Lewis [Hamilton] is always a pleasure<\/b> and I had to drive while constantly looking in my mirrors. Congratulations to Max for winning the world championship. He deserves it after dominating and driving brilliantly in every race. We leave Japan with a good amount of points, recovering fourth place in the constructors’ championship<\/b>. \u00bb<\/p>\n
Alpine’s team principal, Otmar Szafnauer, also acknowledges his team’s result in challenging conditions. The race certainly wasn’t easy for everyone today, with the difficult conditions resulting in very tough decisions for all. At one point, it looked like there would be no laps on the track due to the persistent rain, which meant poor visibility for the drivers. As a team, we can be satisfied with our points collection, with Esteban achieving a fantastic result by securing fourth place after an extremely well-managed race, and Fernando finishing seventh to earn 18 points. We were strong throughout the weekend, in every session, so we deserve the points we scored today and we are climbing back up to fourth place in the constructors’ championship.<\/p>\n
\nYess P4!! \u270c\ud83c\udffc\u270c\ud83c\udffcmega job from the team! Shout out to the fans for the support and staying until the end despite the conditions \u2614\ufe0f Congrats to @Max33Verstappen<\/a> for your second title, fully deserved.<\/p>\n
Let’s carry this momentum into the last four races of the season! \ud83d\udd25 @AlpineF1Team<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mJFNm37hB8<\/a><\/p>\n