Fernando Alonso explains why Ocon is better than him | Formula 1

It seems that Alpine will not be able to fight for third place in the Constructors’ World Cup in 2021. While it was known that Mercedes and Red Bull would remain unattainable, McLaren and Ferrari are one step ahead. Regarding his drivers, Esteban Ocon is offering better performance than Fernando Alonso, something to which the Asturian alluded: “I was expecting exactly what is happening now. I ended up right behind Esteban, I was right in front of him when I retired in Bahéin. He is doing very well and has been in this team for two years, he made a podium last year, while this was my second qualifying and my first race, because at Sakhir I quit after 30 laps ”, said the 39-year-old driver. years in statements to As. Fernando Alonso has not wanted to make excuses and has promised that he will better arrive at the Portuguese Grand Prix, which will take place on May 2. “I have changed teams, or competition, several times, and you always have to go through a period of adaptation. It was never an excuse and it won’t be now. I should have done better, I was not at an adequate level, but I will be in Portimao, “added the two-time champion. However, he pointed out after racing in Imola, where he added a point after Raikkonen’s suspension:” You always want to be higher do better and have a little more confidence with the car. I probably did not have confidence in Bahrain, nor here, and I will not have that confidence in Portimao either. It is not something that is achieved in one night, it will take time. But I’m here to work and improve, and a career like this helps tremendously. You can feel the car in very difficult conditions and you can learn more than in a normal race ”.Alonso’s speech does not change Alonso did not want to use as an excuse the short preseason he has had, just a day and a half to get the Alpine A521: “I took many lessons, I felt 300% better at the end of the race, but it cannot be an excuse for not having done well. I have to be more prepared, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t had time in the car, I’ll try to be better next time ”. On the other hand, the Spaniard claims to be happy with his car: “We are happy with the car, but all the teams test new parts. If we improve two tenths and the rest improve one and a half, we are only advancing half a tenth. But I am happy with the progress, now we are going for the next one. ”Before playing the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso had declared:“ I probably need to improve more than the car at the moment, because in Bahrain I felt that I needed to speed things up, in the procedures, I don’t know, the first lap, the formation lap, the pit stop, things that were new to me after three years. ”Along the same lines, before the start of the World Championship, stated: “Normally I think that each driver on the grid needs three or four races to optimize everything in a new car, maybe a little more if you change teams or if you are new to Formula 1. To be 100%, you can that at least the first two races are necessary, but it is the same for everyone. I also had a small setback with a bicycle accident a few weeks ago, but fortunately my preparation and my physical condition will not be affected and I am ready to go.Ocon’s initial advantage over Alonso Regarding the fight between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, Sergey Sirotkin, who was Renault’s reserve driver in 2020, has already predicted: “I think that, at least in the initial stage, the fight between Alonso and Ocon it will be very close. In addition, Esteban helped himself a lot by winning the podium: in Abu Dhabi you could see that he seemed to have released a load from his shoulders, that he could roll more relaxed, and in races this is very important: when you are tense, you lose. Esteban will understand the team and the car better. I don’t expect it to be completely in the shadow of Alonso. ”“ I think it will be very difficult for Fernando to immediately be at the level where Daniel Ricciardo left ‘his’ car. Fernando will certainly have many requirements for the team, but the team will also have high requirements for Fernando: to start the season immediately as hard as possible ”, added the Russian. Also in the Alpine team they have always been aware of Fernando Alonso’s handicap regarding Esteban Ocon. “I think you have to take into account the disadvantage at which he will start with respect to the rest of the drivers on the grid, considering that he has not raced in Formula 1 for two years”, stressed Marcin Budkowski. “I can understand that for Carlos Sainz or Ricciardo the challenge of next season with a new team will be complicated, because they will have to learn a new working method and will have to interact with unknown engineers, but in Fernando’s case it will be different considering his prolonged absence ”, concluded the executive director from Alpine.