"We're exactly the same" - Esteban Ocon counters Fernando Alonso's claims of reliability issues for Alpine #14

Esteban Ocon claims Fernando Alonso isn't the only Alpine driver facing reliability issues in 2022. The two-time world champion lost more points to reliability issues at the 2022 F1 Mexican GP, retiring from the race instead of scoring solid points for the French team.

Ocon rued that he too has suffered as many reliability issues as his Spanish teammate this year, countering Alonso's claims of reliability issues affecting only him. Ocon said:

“Well, I scrapped my gearbox at Imola and the car at Silverstone. I also dropped out in Singapore. I also count together on my side. We both had problems. We’re exactly the same. I, too, have already used six drives.”

Alpine chief Otmar Szafnauer confirmed that the team is not doing anything different in Fernando Alonso's case, and that his experience in 2022 was a result of sheer bad luck. Szafnauer said:

“You always feel frustrated when you have to spare the car in the race. There was no risk and we already had the points in the bag, weren’t under pressure. That makes the defect all the more annoying. We had tried to keep him in the race somehow, but that didn’t work out. This engine would not have been used anyway. However, we do not yet know what the cause was. Could have been a spark plug or something else.”

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Former driver praised Fernando Alonso's drive in Austin

Fernando Alonso received praise from former Red Bull driver David Coulthard for his heroic drive at Austin. The Alpine driver had a huge collision with Lance Stroll midway through the race that left him with a damaged car. He then had to make his way from the back of the grid to P7 to finish inside the top 10.

Coulthard told Channel 4:

“I think a lesser driver might have just parked it up. They would have been ‘well I’ve been in the air, I’ve bounced off a barrier, I should retire the car’ but he’s just not part of his mindset. That’s why he’s committed to Formula One going forward at 41 years old. That’s why he’s still a desirable driver.”

The two-time world champion is set to drive for Aston Martin in 2023 and beyond, where he will try and bring the team up through the performance ladder over time. The Spaniard will pair up with Lance Stroll, replacing the retiring Sebastian Vettel at the end of the year.