A three-stop strategy was therefore necessary for Alpine this Sunday in order to score points. Esteban Ocon, starting on the soft tires, switched to the mediums for his second stint before going back to the soft tires and sticking with them for his final stint.
Under the heat of Barcelona and its 36 degrees in the air, the machines suffered, but so did the drivers.
« Great race, really happy with the result. We had a group ahead of us with Bottas who was too fast anyway. Feels good. » he explains to Canal+. « It’s almost the same feeling as a victory or a pole position. »
« I am very happy for the team today with this double Top 10. It is probably the best we could have achieved today considering our qualifications, and the team can be really proud of this result.
»
Ocon was able to make several overtakes in his first stint on soft tires and therefore had a lot of fun, but the fact that his teammate finished in the points starting from last makes him just as happy.
« I had a good first stint with some good overtakes and nothing could have been better for me, I believe. Fernando Alonso finishes in the points starting from last position and doing that in Barcelona is even better.
»
« We were able to prove today that we have rhythm despite difficult qualifications, so I will sleep well tonight! »
