In a surprising turn of events, Alpine secured a double podium finish at São Paulo. After a challenging season for both the drivers and the backstage staff, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly pulled off a stunt on a rainy Interlagos. Only Max Verstappen managed to stay ahead of the two Frenchmen. “What a fantastic day,” was the unanimous sentiment after the race.
“After a very difficult season, this is a fantastic result,” an elated Esteban Ocon responded. He led the race for a long time, but was overtaken by Max Verstappen after a restart. Eventually, he crossed the finish line in second place. “It’s amazing to be standing here on the podium; the Brazilian fans are truly incredible. A wise man once said, ‘In the rain, all cars are equal,'” he referred to national hero Ayrton Senna. “Under dry conditions, I really struggled with the car, so the rain was definitely a blessing for us.”
Pierre Gasly also performed well in São Paulo. While his teammate started from the fourth position, the driver from Rouen had to make up a lot of ground before he ended up on the podium. After all, he started his race from P14. “This is truly amazing,” he responded radiantly. “We’ve had such a tough season; no one expected this result. The pace on a dry track was surprisingly good, but the rain helped us even further.”
“Giving up would have been too easy this season,” Gasly concluded with a laugh. “Here we are, P2 and P3, two cars on the podium, what a fantastic result.” Thanks to the double podium, Alpine has moved up a spot in the constructors’ championship. With an additional thirty-three points in the bag, the French racing team is overtaking competitor Haas.
