11/09/2024
NEWS STORY
Esteban Ocon: The Monza weekend was tough, but we knew it would be a challenging weekend for us and there were lots of unknowns for the team with the new tarmac, which played into our strategy struggles on Sunday. We struggled with the tyres at the end of the first stint having stayed out to try the one stopper and unfortunately, we weren't able to score any points but there are always positives to take from the weekend.
We were able to extract some performance between Friday and Saturday which meant I felt a lot better in the car for Qualifying and we were able to get both cars through to Q2, a good achievement for the team considering the start we had to the season. We had lots to debrief on in the week break and now we are looking ahead to Azerbaijan this weekend.
I am excited to get back out in Baku this weekend. The circuit is always a favourite with drivers with its duality of narrow twisty corners and stretched out straights making it truly incredible to drive. The unforgiving tightness of the second sector as it runs through the old town requires laser focus as even the smallest mistake can cost you everything, before you head into the long start-finish straight where multiple cars can run alongside one another. It really gets your adrenaline pumping even over a singular lap. It has been a tough few races for our side of the garage so we are eager to get back to it and make the most of the weekend, and it will also mark my 150th start in Formula 1 which is a great personal achievement.
Indeed, Baku will be Esteban Ocon's 150th career Grand Prix start. During his career he has finished in every position on the podium, including victory for Alpine in the 2021 Hungarian GP, the 50th win in Enstone team history. Coincidentally, this weekend is also Ocon's 100th start for the Enstone team, which was competing under the Renault name when he joined at the start of 2020. He joins Fernando Alonso (149) and Giancarlo Fisichella (119) as the only drivers to reach a century at Enstone.
Pierre Gasly: We knew coming into Monza that it would be a challenge to repeat our points finish in Zandvoort but we still expected more in the race than finishing in fifteenth place. We found a brake issue after Qualifying and we experienced some bouncing too during the race, both of which affected our performance. After that, starting well in the midfield, the race did not come to us and we knew it would be tough to score points. There are some positives to take away, though. We got both cars into Q2 at a challenging circuit for us and the team were absolutely on it during the pit-stops. We've had lots to digest and understand since then and are looking ahead to
Azerbaijan.
I'm really looking forward to heading back to Baku this year. I love it there, the track is insane and every driver has an opportunity given the high risk nature of the track. There's obviously been quite a few chaotic moments at this track in the past, so you can benefit a lot by keeping it very clean and taking chances. The circuit gives me loads of adrenaline because you're close to the wall everywhere, in particular the really tight castle section. It's always a tough compromise on car set-up between the slow corners, the bumpy surface and the two, long straights. but we will try to hit the ground running on Friday and capitalise on what will be a busy weekend.
Safety Car periods are a regular occurrence at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to the proximity of the walls, but F1 is currently on a run of seven consecutive races without any Safety Car intervention, the longest run since 2005.