Esteban Ocon blasts suicidal move from Nyck de Vries during the 2023 F1 Australian GP

Esteban Ocon blasted Nyck de Vries' 'suicidal' move at the 2023 Australian GP. The Frenchman blamed the Dutch rookie for a move down his inside line, though it might have been AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda who made the move on Ocon instead.

The race at Albert Park saw its fair share of drama and controversy, with a total of four red flags being waved on Sunday. Ocon was one of the many drivers who suffered an unfortunate collision during the final red flag restart of the day, colliding with his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly.

While Esteban Ocon was kind towards his teammate Gasly, the Frenchman was critical of other drivers and their approach to wheel-to-wheel racing. He told the media:

"Obviously a very chaotic restart then honestly, it could have been any cars that I collided with. There were cars coming back on the track, obviously Pierre was one of them. But no hard feelings."

He added:

"But some drivers were just suicidal a bit in Turn 1, like Nyck on the inside. It was very close and obviously there's a lot to gain at the time, but a little bit too much for some drivers."

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Alpine boss reacts to collision between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly

According to Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer, a challenging race like the one in Australia can strengthen the team's bond.

Despite the unfortunate end, the team showed a promising performance on Sunday. Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon secured favorable positions in the points.

The former even managed to challenge Carlos Sainz of Ferrari for the fourth position. However, the unfortunate collision between him and Esteban Ocon resulted in both drivers retiring during the final restart.

In his post-race interview with Sky Sports, Szafnauer said:

"While it’s disappointing to leave here with zero points, we can be satisfied and positive with the performance of our car today. We showed we can race with our close rivals ahead, and indeed, close cars down and be clinical when it counts."

He added:

"Pierre drove very well today, running much of the race in fifth place and in the fight for a podium alongside Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari. We must take the positives of this and use it as motivation going forward."

Szafnauer acknowledged that the clash between the two Alpine drivers was 'unfortunate' but urged to continue to look forward. He said:

"It was unfortunate to have both our cars come together at the third standing start and I’m glad both drivers are OK given the nature of the incident. We’ll keep moving forwards and these hard moments are what bring the team closer together. We’re already looking forward to Baku where an upgrade is planned."

With the first signs of friction in place at the Alpine camp, it will be interesting to follow Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly's relationship over the course of the year.