26/10/2022
NEWS STORY
Esteban Ocon shifts focus to the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, after coming away from Texas with a top ten finish. With only three races to go, the Frenchman is keen to finish his season on a positive note and help the team secure fourth position in the Constructors'.
How do you reflect on your US Grand Prix?
Esteban Ocon "As is stands, I've come away with one point which is a good effort after starting from the pit lane on Sunday. The car had good pace but in the end it wasn't the smoothest of weekends, so we've been debriefing to find areas of improvement to come back stronger in Mexico. As always, it was a pleasure to race in Austin, such a vibrant city and some really passionate fans. Already I can't wait to be back next year."
Mexico City this weekend. What are your thoughts on the track?
EO: "The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of racing in Mexico City is the high altitude. At over 2000m above sea level, this track is the highest circuit that we come to all year. Obviously, the altitude has important implications on many things including the cooling systems on the car, the aerodynamic performance and the tyre behaviour. But I do like driving on this circuit as it presents a good blend of corners at different speeds and many straights, with three DRS zones. The last corner sequence brings the track through the iconic baseball stadium section before coming back to the very long start and finish straight. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez will be a good challenge for the team and our car, and I can't wait to get our weekend going in front of the amazing Mexican fans."
How are you feeling with three races to go?
EO: "I personally feel good and very motivated to finish the year strongly. But even though the end of the season is getting nearer, we all need to maintain our focus and get the very best out of our car at each of the remaining events. It will be a demanding four weeks for the team with Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi still to go and I know we will all push hard to finish the year on a high and achieve our goal of finishing fourth in the Constructors' Championship. For now, it's full focus on Mexico and having a good weekend right from the get-go on Friday morning."
Fernando Alonso looks ahead to the Mexico City Grand Prix after a chaotic and high adrenaline race in Austin. Despite his stunning recovery drive in America, the Spaniard will be aiming to bounce back this weekend in Mexico.
What a race in Austin. Tell us about it?
Fernando Alonso: "I think it was one of my best races of the season, if not the best. It was an intense battle during the whole race and even ended with a great fight with Lando [Norris] which carried more meaning given the fight for fourth position with McLaren. The race started well for us and we managed to captalise on the first Safety Car. There was then the incident with Lance [Stroll] which we've already discussed with the Stewards after the race. I was lucky to be able to keep driving the car despite the incident and was surprised when we changed the wing and put new tyres on and everything seemed fine. We kept going but then our next challenge was keeping the set of Hards on for a long stint until the end of the race."
Mexico City up next, what are you aiming for this weekend?
FA: "It's only a short flight to Mexico from Austin and we are all still full of adrenaline after last weekend. We are ready for this weekend and confident that we can score some strong points if we have a clean weekend. I'm sure the battle for fourth position will continue into Abu Dhabi, so we need to keep maximising our weekends. The track is a unique challenge for the car with the extremely high altitude and pressures on the engine that come with this."
Alpine Academy Driver Jack Doohan will make his Grand Prix debut in Mexico City this weekend as the young Australian takes the wheel of the A522 in Free Practice 1. Jack explains his thoughts and feelings as he prepares for his maiden outing in an official Formula 1 session.
How much are you looking forward to Free Practice 1 in Mexico City?
Jack Doohan: "First of all, I'm extremely grateful to the team for allowing me this opportunity to drive in Free Practice 1. It's a fantastic opportunity for me and I'm really excited to drive Esteban's car in the session. For me, it's another step closer to achieving my ultimate goal of reaching Formula 1 and I'll do my best to take as much from the experience as I can. The team will set out a job for me to do and I'll work hard, do my best, and enjoy the moment all at the same time."
How have you prepared for this opportunity?
JD: "I drove the A522 in Monza in September on a filming day, so that was a good experience for me to get up to speed with an initial feeling for how contemporary Formula 1 cars are to drive. In addition, I furthered my preparation with some time on the simulator at Enstone where I was able to drive the circuit and gather a good understanding on some of the characteristics of the track, which was very beneficial. Last week, I joined the team in Austin and spent as much time as I could with the mechanics and engineers to learn the main processes of a race weekend. I'm definitely feeling ready for this opportunity!"
What are you aiming to achieve during the session?
JD: "The main goal will be to work with the team in going through the run plan for the session. I'll drive to what they set out and play my part in getting the car set-up in a good window for the race weekend. What will be interesting is feeling the car at such high-speed - well above 360km/h - and dealing with the effects of the high altitude where the car will feel quite light. Above all, I'll be working hard with the engineers and enjoying the experience of driving a Formula 1 car!"
Driver/Team Facts
• Former Enstone based team Lotus hold the record for the most wins in Mexico since the first Grand Prix in 1963
• Esteban Ocon has a 100% finishing record at the track, but his fifth place in 2017 is the only time that he has left the circuit having scored points
• Jack Doohan makes his maiden appearance in an official Formula 1 session this weekend in Mexico City for Free Practice 1
• It's also Jack's first ever racing appearance at the circuit
• Jack is currently fourth in the FIA Formula 2 Drivers' Standings with only one race weekend to go in Abu Dhabi at the end of November
• Esteban's best finish in Mexico is fifth position in 2017
• Fernando's best finish in Mexico is ninth place in 2021
• The track is 2,240 meters above sea level and so is by far the highest track on the 2022 F1 calendar
• The main start and finish straight is a staggering 1.2km long
• The drivers will make a total of 1,207 turns throughout the race