Esteban Ocon, Alpine (P10, 1 pt): 7.5/10
The relationship between Esteban Ocon and Alpine has clearly soured, and he's already been given his marching orders for 2025. But they still have to find a way to work together in the meantime, and Montreal showed that they could do this just about well enough to deliver points - even if there was some luck and clenched teeth involved. It certainly hadn't looked very promising after qualifying when Ocon missed the first cut meaning he was the last car on the grid after the Saubers took to the pit lane for the start of the race. But a good start saw him ahead of Pierre Gasly who had been clipped by Sergio Perez, and a single-stop strategy that kept him out on intermediates until lap 44 proved an effective strategy. His pace waned toward the end and he was passed by Gasly (under team orders with which he only grudgingly and belatedly complied) and Daniel Ricciardo, but Yuki Tsunoda's late spin was enough to keep Ocon in the top ten and the points.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine (P9, 2 pts): 8/10
After a difficult start to the season for Alpine as a whole on both a technical and personnel level, things are finally starting to sort themselves out for the team and for Pierre Gasly in particular, who is now de facto team leader in the wake of confirmation that Esteban Ocon was being shown the door at the end of 2024. It seems to have given Gasly a boost of confidence and this manifested in his second consecutive top ten finish and points in Montreal. Perhaps the most important moment came in qualifying when Gasly just made the first cut and Ocon didn't, although that backfired in the race when Gasly was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got clipped by Sergio Perez. While Ocon was one-stopping, Gasly pitted twice giving him better pace in the closing laps which is why the team ordered Ocon to let Gasly pass in order to have a try at attacking Daniel Ricciardo. Ocon took that instruction with all the good grace we've come to expect him to show toward any team mate.
