01/07/2023
NEWS STORY
BWT Alpine F1 Team scored two points from today's Sprint Race at the Austrian Grand Prix after Esteban Ocon's seventh place finish in Spielberg.
Pierre Gasly finished fifteenth after a challenging opening lap to the 24-lap race. The day, however, was marred by the sad news of the death of Dilano van 't Hoff in Race 2 of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in Spa-Francorchamps. The team extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Dilano as well as the MP Motorsport team.
The team looks ahead to tomorrow's Austrian Grand Prix where Pierre will start ninth and Esteban twelfth.
Esteban Ocon: "Today we raced with Dilano in our thoughts. It's a real tragedy what happened in Spa-Francorchamps this morning and our heartfelt condolences are with his loved ones and all those who knew him. On my side, in today's race, it was good to have some battles with Charles [Leclerc], Lando [Norris], and George [Russel] right until the end. The team managed the conditions well and we are pleased to bag a couple of points on a Saturday. Our focus now shifts to tomorrow's Grand Prix when we have some ground to make up but I'm sure we can have a good race."
Pierre Gasly: "Firstly, my thoughts are with the family and friends of Dilano van 't Hoff following the tragic incident at Spa Francorchamps earlier today. The news is desperately sad, difficult for everyone involved in the motorsport community to take, and we will race with Dilano firmly in our minds. In terms of today's Sprint, it was a challenging one for me especially after some wheel spin off the line, which put us back a couple of positions. I'm staying focused for tomorrow's race where we begin in ninth place and have a much better opportunity to score points."
Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal: "Today we raced with Dilano van 't Hoff firmly in our thoughts after the devastating incident in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in Spa-Francorchamps. Our thoughts are with his family, loved ones and friends, as well as the entire MP Motorsport team during this extremely difficult time.
For us today in Spielberg, it was not a straightforward Sprint Race with Esteban scoring two points in seventh place. He did a magnificent job, racing firmly and defending smartly throughout. Pierre endured some wheel spin off the line, which put him back in the midfield and out of contention to reach the top eight. Tomorrow's Grand Prix is when bigger points are on offer and I'm confident we can come away with both our cars inside the top ten to ensure we come away from Austria with good points."
Check out our Saturday gallery from the Red Bull Ring here.