Ocon took advantage of a chaotic rainy start in Budapest to take the lead after a restart when front runner Lewis Hamilton pitted. Ocon stayed cool and led the entire race to take his first Grand Prix win, keeping Aston Martins Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton behind.
It was one of several stellar races for Alpine, which included a podium finish for teammate Fernando Alonso in Qatar when it defeated AlphaTauri in the battle for fifth place in the constructors’ championship.
Ocon believes his first win not only boosted his confidence, but also took some of the pressure off the rest of his Enstone team.
“Yes, it’s a great feeling and I’m also happy that we can get that away for the team,” said Ocon.
“Of course it’s the first win since the Renault comeback in the new era of Formula 1, so hopefully next time we’ll be in this position soon, we know what it feels like. We don’t have that much pressure; we” can just do our job and make it a reality. “
The Frenchman admits the team is still a long way from competing for victories on a regular basis, but says the taste of victory made the team even more hungry to try it more often.
“In my case, I still work just like me. The guys I have around me were of course very happy about this win, it’s the first for many of them, but we want him to have more of those moments, it is not just one.
“We know we still have a long way to go and hard work, but it obviously feels good and I’m proud to have seen this with you, with such a talented bunch of people.”
Race winner Esteban Ocon, Alpine A521
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Although Ocon doesn’t have a particularly fast car, partly due to an engine design from 2019, Ocon is delighted with how Alpine has managed to take every opportunity to big points thanks to improved race management and track operations that have become part of it to achieve. the team philosophy.
“Anyway, I think we wanted to do that. We knew we didn’t have the fastest car, we didn’t have the fastest package overall to fight at the top, but as soon as the opportunity arose we were there to take it to be able to: Qatar, Saudi, Budapest, almost Sochi for Fernando, “he explained.
“We wanted to be in top shape operationally and we managed to do that this year. We can be proud of that, because that means, if we have a fast car, we can drive the top cars and the top teams without having to worry. “
