New evidence shows Pierre Gasly pushing Esteban Ocon towards the barrier before the two collided later in the lap

An on-board camera's footage showcased how Pierre Gasly squeezed Esteban Ocon at the start of the 2024 F1 Monaco GP on Sunday, May 26. This incident occurred before the two crashed into each other after a few corners.

At the start of the race at the Principality, both the Alpine drivers had an intense wheel-to-wheel battle which resulted in them crashing at the end. Right from the start, their cars were alongside each other as they tackled the first corner (Sainte Devote) and the twisty section of Beau Rivage.

When they arrived at the third corner of the track (Massenet), Ocon saw an opening on Gasly's right side and tried to squeeze into it. However, Gasly shut the gap quickly and, in the process, pushed his teammate towards the barrier before taking the third corner.

Since Aston Martin's Lance Stroll was right behind Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, his onboard camera showcased how the Alpine teammates raced against each other.

Following their minor incident at turn three, they continued down the hairpin section and crashed into each other at turn eight (Portier). In that corner, Ocon made a daring move from the inside line. Gasly's front right tire locked with Ocon's rear left tire because the turn was too narrow for two modern F1 cars to be side by side.

As a result, Ocon's car picked up a lot of damage, forcing him to retire from the race. Pierre Gasly went on to complete the race. He secured P10 and scored one point for himself and the French team.

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Daniel Ricciardo addresses Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon's wheel-to-wheel battle before their crash at Monaco

Daniel Ricciardo talked about how he too saw both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon's cars touch before their crash at the 2024 F1 Monaco GP. The Australian driver was behind Lance Stroll and was also able to see both Alpine drivers locked in an intense battle.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, Ricciardo explained that Gasly and Ocon made contact with each other since the beginning of the race. The RB driver added that he could sense the tension rising between the two Alpine teammates. Hence, he was not surprised to see them crash into each other later in lap one.

"I mean, there was wheel touching I feel like three times before that happened or probably including that. Obviously that, lap one, brewed in a lot shorter amount of time, but I could see it happening where I was like, ‘Okay, I feel like tension is rising very quickly,’ and sometimes with team-mates, it sparks even more. When I saw it happen, I wasn’t surprised because it felt like none of them wanted to give in and they were having a strong-arm competition," Ricciardo said.

Pierre Gasly currently stands in 18th place in the 2024 F1 drivers' championship table with one point. Esteban Ocon also has one point in his pocket but is in 16th place.