Why will Esteban Ocon start the Saturday of the 2023 F1 Canadian GP 'with a bullet in the foot'? 

Esteban Ocon was not too optimistic after the Friday practice sessions during the 2023 F1 Canadian GP. The French driver did no running in the first session and struggled quite a lot in the second. Furthermore, there is a massive issue for him that could ruin his entire race weekend.

As quoted by F1.com, Esteban Ocon initially summed up his tough Friday in Montreal. He stated what happened in both practice sessions and how it could hurt Alpine going into Saturday.

Another major issue was that he did not have an extra intermediate tire that other drivers might have for Saturday and Sunday. He speculated that he would be doing a very short run in the third and final practice session.

“A difficult day for us. Obviously, that's not what we wanted, because we didn’t do many laps, like everyone, in FP1, but in FP2 also we struggled, as we did only a run, and unfortunately that’s going to hurt us for tomorrow."

He added:

"We start [Saturday] with a bullet in the foot because we are not going to have that inter tyre, that extra one, that others could carry after today. I’m going to have very limited running, probably in FP3, compared to the others."

Lastly, Esteban Ocon admitted that he and Alpine will be going ahead this weekend on the back foot, though he is still hopeful for it.

“We are very much starting on the backfoot. It’s going to be a big push, trying to get up to speed quicker than the others, and hopefully we can do so."

Esteban Ocon was in 18th place in the second practice session and was only able to do 17 laps in total.

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Esteban Ocon determined to take the fight to Alpine's rivals

Coming into the 2023 F1 Canadian GP, Esteban Ocon was quite optimistic and determined to push even further and challenge the top teams. Speaking about Alpine's journey so far, he was happy that the team bounced back from a tough start of the 2023 F1 season.

He saw the race in Montreal as another opportunity to charge ahead. He said:

"We can be proud of how the team has bounced back following a difficult start to the season, which we know was below our expectations. We are fighters and we believe we can challenge our competitors on the track like we’ve shown already at races this season. Every race is an opportunity for this, and we are glad we can have another go this weekend in Montreal."

After an unusual Friday practice sessions, however, the French driver feels that he and his team will be going ahead in the weekend on a backfoot.