Fernando Alonso vs Esteban Ocon – Which Alpine F1 driver won the teammate fight?

By Sylvester Simmonds 29 December, 2021 3 mins read 468 Views

REVEALED: The strange superstitions Alonso and Ocon pursue ahead of an F1 race

Teammate battles were a sight to see in the 2021 F1 season, especially within midfield teams. One such team that experienced a tough but respectful rivalry between teammates was the newbies Alpine; Fernando Alonso, who was making his comeback in Formula 1, had the opportunity to challenge one of the emerging talents, Esteban Ocon.

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Up until the start of the Bahrain GP, it almost looked like Alonso could beat Ocon with ease, especially considering the Frenchman had just had a rusty 2020 season with Renault. However, the reality came as a shock to many.

Formula 1 F1 – Spanish Grand Prix – Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain – May 7, 2021 Esteban Ocon from Alpine and Fernando Alonso from Alpine in action REUTERS / Albert Gea

Ocon looked grown up and was very much like the Ocon of the past. It was indeed a sign that he was learning from his teammate / mentor Alonso. The Frenchman started the season well and scored points in four of the first five races. And Alonso, on the other hand, still took some getting used to with the car.

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But then came the turning point with the Azerbaijan GP; Alonso found his rhythm when he started scoring big points for the team (33 points over the next 6 races). And from then on, Alonso’s insane consistency ensured that his teammate could never beat him.

Podium presence for Alonso & Ocon

Let’s start with Alonso’s podium in Qatar; the Spaniard drove his heart out to take his first podium in nearly a decade. He kept a cool head and made sure that an attacking Sergio Perez had nothing to do with him even at the end of the race. We would think of a good driver.

There is now Ocon, with a race win himself. Yes, circumstances absolutely favored Ocon, who was able to lead the race from the first corner of the first lap to the end of the Hungarian GP race. Despite the favorable circumstances, however, Ocon was threatened at some point by Hamilton, who wanted to win the race from there.

Formula 1 F1 – Hungarian Grand Prix – Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary – August 1, 2021 Alpine Esteban Ocon celebrates with teammate Fernando Alonso after winning the Pool race over REUTERS / Florion Goga

But then came the shield that is Alonso. The two-time world champion used all his experience to hold Hamilton captive for a decisive lap, which ultimately helped Ocon and Vettel to cross the finish line a second ahead of the Mercedes driver. So, arguably, Alonso played the biggest role in helping Ocon win his first Grand Prix.

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Alonso before Ocon?

There is no dispute that Alonso was better than Ocon in 2021. The Spaniard has shown the whole world that age is only a number and that his racing skills are still intact. At the same time, you can’t take anything away from Ocon.

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Having to compete with a world champion for an entire season is no easy task for a driver with two years of F1 experience! And he did it pretty spectacularly.

Final verdict: Alonso beats Ocon, but only just barely

Ocon vs Alonso: F1 teammate battle