Alpine CEO confirms criticism Ocon: 'Alonso didn't do simulator work'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has backed Esteban Ocon in criticising Fernando Alonso's behaviour. In an interview with L'Equipe, Rossi indicates that Alonso was indeed unwilling to do much work behind the scenes and that this is going to change with Pierre Gasly.
The announcement that Alonso would swap Alpine for Aston Martin was overshadowed this summer by the drama surrounding Oscar Piastri. Piastri was supposed to be Alonso's successor at Alpine but the Australian had other ideas about that and ended up joining McLaren. Because this situation demanded a lot of attention, it seemed as if Alonso's departure from the French racing stable was very amiable, but lately, there have been more and more different noises coming from Alpine's garage.
'Alonso didn't want to do simulator work'
Recently, Ocon expressed criticism that Alonso did not want to do any work in the simulator and that, as a result, Ocon did 98 percent of all the work behind the scenes. Rossi did not want to name a specific figure but did confirm Ocon's criticism and immediately indicated that they will take a different approach with Gasly next year.
"Pierre will also take part in simulator work. It is one of the big differentiators from Alonso. Not all drivers spend time in the simulator, but it is certainly a crucial element nowadays, in the times we live in. This year, with a new single-seater, there was a lot of work to do and Fernando is not someone who likes to drive simulators, although that doesn't change the incredible driver he is."