Esteban Ocon says he’s discovering it onerous to imagine that Alpine’s double podium within the Sao Paulo Grand Prix is actuality.
Alpine entered Sunday’s race in ninth place within the constructors’ championship on 16 factors, one level behind Williams within the standings. In moist circumstances, each Ocon and Pierre Gasly excelled because the crew additionally pulled off a courageous technique — operating lengthy and benefiting from a pink flag — to complete second and third behind Max Verstappen and transfer as much as sixth general with a 33-point haul.
“I’m undecided that this can be a actuality or nonetheless a dream, however I odor champagne, so I feel it’s actuality,” Ocon stated. “It’s been an unbelievable day. Who would have thought, to begin with, that we had been going to qualify fourth? We had been very, very fast as quickly as these circumstances poured out right now.
“It actually ranges out the sector and it feels nice to be simply in a position to struggle with different vehicles, to struggle with the blokes on the entrance as nicely. It exhibits that we nonetheless obtained it and when there is a chance, we’re at all times there to have the ability to take it.
“We had been main the race sooner or later. That was a particular second — I used to be pulling away from Max in that first restart. It was going tremendous nicely and sadly, on the finish, the truth examine got here again and Max was nonetheless higher than us.
“It feels extraordinarily nice and even larger now as a result of we’ve had a troublesome couple of races currently the place issues didn’t actually work the best way we needed for us, nevertheless it clearly exhibits that we’ve nonetheless obtained it when it’s not all in regards to the automotive and it’s … about driving.”
The result’s Ocon’s fifth rating of the season, and his earlier finest end was a solitary ninth place forward of three tenths. The Frenchman will go away Alpine on the finish of the season and he says the actual fact he might rejoice with teammate Gasly — who has been a rival since their junior careers — made it additional particular.
“It’s not signed off but; there’s extra races to go, three extra,” he stated. “If that’s the reward, then I’m very completely satisfied to name it … the reward. It’s been 5 years of excellent moments, harder moments after all, however I’m extraordinarily completely satisfied and happy with me and Pierre, to be sincere. We’ve had our [struggles] at occasions nevertheless it’s been unbelievable to try this final formation lap.
“Quite a lot of flashbacks got here again to my reminiscences once we had been racing on the moist in karts once we had been younger, even on the snow with the slick tires. We had been each racing collectively ready for the rostrum or the win to return and right now, it tastes a bit like that. A ravishing story from the place we’ve come from and that one will keep eternally.”
