Alpine F1
Fernando Alonso
"I am happy with our result today after a difficult day yesterday. The start and the restart didn't play to our hands but then we had really good pace once it all settled down. We were a little unlucky with the Virtual Safety Car that happened, as we weren't able to box and, in the end, we did lose some time with that. Once we were back out our pace was strong. We only chose to stop once and despite some teamwork to try and stop Pierre (Gasly) from the overtake, we weren't able to hold him off. It's good to see both cars in the points again and we are still level with Alpha Tauri for fifth heading into Qatar next weekend, so we'll aim to continue this form."
Esteban Ocon
"I'm happy to be back in the points today after a very busy race. Today was all about our strong teamwork between all of us. We tried to maximise everything the best we could, and we pushed everything to the limit both from a performance and tactical point of view. When Gasly pitted for the second time, I gave the place to Fernando to see if we could hold him behind by giving me a tow. It worked for a couple of laps, but it was not enough in the end and Fernando returned the place. Still, eighth and ninth position at the flag gives us six points and that's a great team result, which is important for the Constructors' Championship. It's still tight, we head to two unknown tracks next and we'll keep pushing as much as we can to hold onto this position."
Laurent Rossi, chief executive officer, Alpine Cars
"We're very pleased to have both cars inside the points for the first time since the Italian Grand Prix. Not only does it mean we remain fifth in the Constructors' Championship, it also confirms a return to a good competitiveness level after a run of races, which has left us searching for answers. Today's race was entertaining, and it was good we could put on a show for an electric Brazilian crowd. As a team, we can be proud of our teamwork today as demonstrated by Esteban and Fernando on-track. After Gasly's second pit-stop, we opted to stick to a one-stop strategy and defend as best as we could from him. First, Esteban allowed Fernando to pass in order to create a tow with the aim of keeping Gasly behind. While this worked for a handful of laps, ultimately, with the tyre advantage he had, we weren't able to hold out. Fernando returned the position on the last lap to Esteban underlining both drivers' impressive team spirit to help each other and, in parallel, drive the team forwards. Our focus switches straight to Qatar for the final round of the triple header. We're heading into the relatively unknown, but that's an exciting challenge, which we're looking forward to taking on."
