Esteban Ocon took aim at his Alpine team following Formula 1’s Canadian Grand Prix, after believing it had not lived up to a team order promise.
Having given up a position late on to team-mate Pierre Gasly to enable him to attempt to overcome Daniel Ricciardo ahead, Ocon felt immensely let down when the pledge to swap positions back if it failed did not materialize.
As a consequence, Ocon was incensed and lambasted his team's decision in the media area directly after the chequered flag.
"No, it is inexplicable, that one,” he said.
"I've always respected the instructions that I've been given, as a driver, and I've done that once more. I'm the good person!
"I've done my portion of the job – the team hasn't, honestly. It is not fair, on that contest. So, I'm very frustrated with how things have been carried out. I suppose there are a number of causes, so we'll let the benefit of the doubt go on."
But while Ocon may have felt that things were unjust on him, details that subsequently surfaced indicated why Alpine had ultimately decided against that final exchange back.
How It Played Out On Track
In the last 25 circuits of the Montreal race – in which Alpine accomplished its first double points finish of the season – Gasly was racing in tenth behind Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo but closing swiftly on them.
However, what was not obvious from the outside was that Ocon had been coping with some energy management issues that were holding back his pace and endangered him falling back even more.
Gasly had been hassling tenth-placed Daniel Ricciardo for several circuits when Yuki Tsunoda ahead of them skidded out of the points and the Australian subsequently overhauled Ocon for eighth.
Realising Ocon’s power unit difficulties would not enable him to get back past Ricciardo, Alpine requested Ocon to let Gasly through on lap 68 of 70.
Without initially expressing its reason why, Ocon was initially resistant and posed the question, to which his race engineer Josh Peckett disclosed that the objective was for Gasly to attack Ricciardo.
"Forget it!" Ocon replied, in allusion to the tempo of the RB.
Peckett insisted, so Ocon asked for assurances that he would be granted the place back if Gasly did not manage to overcome the RB.
He ultimately gave in: "Okay, I let him by, but make what's right at the end."
Ocon let his team-mate through between Turns 7 and 8 on lap 69, but there wasn't enough time for Gasly to take eighth place from Ricciardo.
Towards the conclusion of the final lap, Ocon expected Gasly to slow down and let him back through – but that moment did not arrive.
Ocon was informed before the last chicane on the final lap: "Esteban, the vehicles are not exchanging positions. Push to the end, sir."
It was that decision that enraged Ocon, who evidently felt he had been let down after performing his role to assist Gasly and the team.
But the team’s decision in not swapping the positions back was prompted by the fact that Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg was so close to Ocon that there had been a danger of the German obtaining a place if the two Alpine cars had attempted to orchestrate a transfer late on and botched it up.
Team First View
Speaking to Motorsport.com about the events, Alpine team principal Bruno Famin said he was well aware that shifting positions like this was never simple. So that was why he was not concerned by how things played out, either over team radio or in media comments afterwards.
“There's no real friction,” he said. “They are drivers, and when you ask one driver, whoever it is, to give his position to his team-mate, generally it's not so easy.
“But we did it. We did it for the sake of the team on purpose. I believe Esteban was fighting a bit with the energy management, consuming quite a lot of energy and then we had two Haas cars on the rear.
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“Esteban was slowing everybody, it was quite obvious on TV, and the risk was to have the two Haas cars passing us. And that's why we gave that instruction.
“They are saying things at the end of the race, but the day after we're on a different mind.”
The Canada team order crisis undoubtedly had greater significance because of all that happened in Monaco, but it is not the first time that such a situation has proved contentious for Alpine – with a position transfer at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix having provoked some fury.
But Famin was explicit that his team’s focus was on what was best for the squad, not what was optimal for each driver.
“They're fighting for their own result, career,” he said. “But at Alpine, it's very clear: there's only one goal: it is the team interest first.”
