Esteban Ocon has described Alpine’s shock double podium at the 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix as the ideal way to close his chapter with the French Formula 1 team.
The result was one of the biggest surprises of the 2024 season, with Ocon finishing second and then-team-mate Pierre Gasly also reaching the podium in difficult wet conditions at Interlagos.
Ocon left Alpine at the end of 2024 before joining Haas for the 2025 Formula 1 season. Looking back on his final year with the Enstone-based squad, the French driver said there could hardly have been a better way to end his time with the team.
Speaking in a Formula 1 video alongside his Haas team-mate Ollie Bearman, Ocon said the Brazilian Grand Prix podium felt like a strong closing chapter to his Alpine story. He noted that while it was not a victory, sharing a podium with Gasly made the result especially meaningful.
Ocon and Gasly’s relationship has long been complex. The two French drivers were once close friends during their karting years, but their relationship later became a fierce rivalry that followed them into Formula 1.
During their time as Alpine team-mates in 2023 and 2024, they generally kept their partnership professional. However, there were still tense moments on track, including incidents at the Australian and Monaco Grands Prix.
Despite that history, their final season together ended with both drivers on the podium in Brazil, giving Alpine a standout result at a time when the car was not considered one of the strongest on the grid.
Ocon said the Brazilian weekend changed dramatically once rain arrived. In dry conditions, Alpine had looked uncompetitive, with Ocon recalling that he had been only 17th the day before the race.
But changing weather transformed the competitive order. Ocon said the team woke up early as conditions shifted, and he went on to qualify fourth before leading the race for around 15 to 20 laps.
That unexpected performance made the podium even more significant. Ocon said Alpine likely had one realistic chance to score a podium that season, and Brazil was that opportunity.
Although Ocon was pleased to finish second, he admitted there was still a small sense of regret. He said he did not fight as aggressively for the win because he did not want to throw away Alpine’s rare chance at a podium.
Ocon suggested that if Alpine had been fighting for podiums more regularly during the season, he might have pushed Max Verstappen harder in the battle for victory. Instead, he chose to secure the result rather than risk losing it.
Even so, the Frenchman described the race as an amazing result and said it was important that both Alpine cars finished on the podium. For Ocon, Brazil provided a memorable and emotional end to his time with the team.
