Esteban Ocon reveals how he helped Alpine improve in 2022 F1 season

Esteban Ocon believes that his understanding with the rest of the team and the data that he provided about the car contributed to Alpine's success in the 2022 Formula One season.

While he accepts that the team wasn't competitive in the initial stages of the season, Ocon asserted that the upgrades during the later stages of the season helped him and the team achieve a decent finish.

During an interview with RacingNews365.com, the French driver stated that he was able to accurately identify the issues with the car which helped the team in development. He said:

"I quickly found out where the issues were, and we told the team about it, and they managed to translate that into upgrades which really helped. With that understanding and at the same time of putting upgrades in, I really feel like I've stepped up."

Esteban Ocon also talked about the time of the season when they were trying to compete with Haas and Alfa Romeo.

"Very early on, we didn't start where we wanted to be. We were behind the Haas and Alfa Romeo cars, and our car was not working at its best."

Alpine's 2022 season is best described as a rollercoaster, dotted with multiple reliability issues for Fernando Alonso and a poor start.

Gradual upgrades in the cars helped the team achieve an impressive finishing position at the end of the season (P4) and Esteban Ocon is confident that he contributed positively to the success of the team.

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Esteban Ocon reveals that the team was focused more on pace than reliability

One of the hindrances for Alpine in 2022 was their unreliable Renault engines. Alonso was the victim of the same on multiple occasions, due to which the team suffered big losses.

However, Esteban Ocon revealed in the interview that reliability was not the team's primary concern. The team was focused on making a car that was competitive in terms of pace. He said:

"It was always the strategy of the team to have a quick engine to have a competitive and pushy car, [as opposed] to finishing races at the back."

According to Ocon, this was due to the engine development regulations. However, the team's gamble of prioritizing pace worked, as evidenced by their final position in the standings.

Their battle with McLaren was closely contested throughout the season, and in Abu Dhabi, they were able to seal their P4 finish ahead of their rivals.

Alpine is looking ahead to the 2023 season with an all-French setup on the frontline. After Alonso's move to Aston Martin, Pierre Gasly has taken the vacant seat, and the team will be hoping to score much higher.