04/06/2023
NEWS STORY
BWT Alpine F1 Team added five points to its 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship tally today after Esteban Ocon finished eighth and Pierre Gasly tenth in the Spanish Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The race was largely uneventful with both drivers on a two-stop strategy using all three tyre compounds. Esteban was in a race long battle for a place in the top six - eventually ending in eighth - with Pierre on the cusp of the top ten after a tricky start to the 66-lap Grand Prix in which he lost four positions on the opening lap.
In the end, Esteban battled hard to take eighth and four valuable points with Pierre claiming tenth at the chequered flag for a solitary point. The team remains fifth in the Constructors' Championship on 40 points.
Esteban Ocon: "We leave Barcelona with double points again so I think we can be satisfied with our work this weekend. We finished eighth in the end and I don't think there was much more we could have done today, with our race pace perhaps lacking a bit compared to our competitors who finished in front. We'll definitely take a look to see how we can improve that but, overall, it was a strong Saturday and a decent Sunday for us. We can be proud of the last couple of weeks but we know there is work to do to keep heading in the right direction."
Pierre Gasly: Another double points finish but we always strive for more. On my side, it's frustrating after such a strong qualifying yesterday and also the fact we showed good race pace today capable of fighting in the top six. Unfortunately, the penalties and the poor start had a big impact on my race, and we'll collectively review to see what we can improve for next time. The car is performing well - that's three points scoring finishes in a row - and we must keep striving for more. I'm looking forward to a bit of time off before taking on Canada in two weeks."
Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal: "We come away from the Spanish Grand Prix with five points after Esteban finished eighth and Pierre tenth. It was a tough race with varying strategies and gameplans. For Esteban he did a good job to be in the mix for the top six, just missing out in the end and there are certainly a couple of aspects from his race to be improved for next time. Pierre already lost six places due to the grid penalty after a superb qualifying yesterday where he was fourth and then lost another four positions on lap one after being caught on the wrong side of a scrum of cars in the opening turns. He did a great job to recover those places in the end to score a point. Of course, we are aiming for more than minor points - like last week in Monaco - but the performance of the car is solid and we're taking the fight to those ahead. There are some things we must improve - small details to get right - and we look forward to racing in Canada later this month ready to keep battling for those higher positions."