Esteban Ocon admits he has not been enjoying his time behind the wheel of an F1 car for a while now as Alpine struggles in the championship standings, currently in ninth place.
This season has been challenging for Alpine, starting off as the slowest team and going through various personnel changes. Despite some improvements and scoring points in a few races, Alpine slipped to ninth in the constructors’ championship after the Baku Grand Prix, trailing behind Williams.
Looking ahead to the Singapore Grand Prix, Ocon acknowledged the frustration of struggling to score points in recent races, with only one top ten finish in the last seven races at the Belgian Grand Prix.
“Williams has shown great progress throughout the season, often outperforming us,” Ocon mentioned. “We are currently in ninth place in the constructors’ championship, which reflects on the performance of our car. The team is working hard to improve the situation, but it will be a tough challenge to bounce back.”
He added, “Despite our position, we have not given up. We are giving our best until the end of the season. Our focus this weekend is to have a better performance than in Baku, where we faced many issues. I just want to enjoy driving again, something that I haven’t experienced in a while.”
Ocon will be leaving Alpine at the end of the 2024 season, having been with the team since 2020 when they were Renault. He is set to join Haas next season.
He finished 15th in Baku last weekend after encountering car problems and a crash in qualifying. Ocon hoped to end his time at Alpine positively but admits that the challenges throughout the season have made it difficult to have a successful final chapter with the team.
Despite the difficulties, Ocon remains determined to finish on a high note and is focused on building confidence, improving the car’s performance, and making the most out of the remaining races of the season.
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