Esteban Ocon praised the performance of the new Alpine car despite a very quiet Formula 1 pre-season test in Bahrain.
The French outfit was slowest based on each team’s fastest lap and only trouble-hit McLaren did fewer laps across the three days.
Despite piling on the sandbags, it was Alpine’s long-run pace that hinted at their true potential, which pundits believe could be fifth-best behind the much-improved Aston Martin.
And Ocon was more than satisfied with the team’s accomplishments.
“There was much to learn during these last three days and we definitely did a good job to cover many different areas,” he said.
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“We tried a variety of set-up items and tyre choices and operationally, we managed to have a good feel for what works well.
“This has given us a strong direction to follow and now we’ll have the next few days to look at the data, and debrief all together.”
Ocon then revealed the key differences between the A523 and last year’s car.
“The car is much more stable in the entry of corners, to attack the entries,” he explained. “It gives you a lot more confidence and it’s a much greater balance.
“On tyres which are much more robust at the front, it’s a very good surprise. In terms of balance, I think we are pretty much spot on in terms of entries and braking as well. The car is very good.”
Ahead of the season, much of the focus on Alpine has been around their new driver pairing as Pierre Gasly joins alongside Ocon from AlphaTauri.
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The two drivers have a long history, with Ocon actually getting Gasly into karting as kids before the pair fell out over a matter that remains private.
That potential animosity between them has led to some questions over if they can co-exist at Alpine, but Esteban insists their relationship so far is strong.
“I think we complete each other quite well at the moment,” he stated. “The main direction is the same that we want to push for. On the detail side of things, I think we complete each other.
“There are some things that he spots or I spot and then we say, ‘Oh yeah, you know, that’s something that is actually right’, and then you say the same things on my side. So that’s been quite good.”
And looking ahead to the first race, Ocon added: “I think it’s going to be good with Pierre. He’s a super fast driver. He’s won a race, like me, and had podiums.
“In 2021, I think it was where he was super-fast and consistently qualifying around fifth and sixth and that was very impressive.
“I have no doubt he’s going to be ready for the first race. It should be a good season together and we are going to push the team forward to compete at the best level we can to achieve some great results.”
