Coulthard: Alpine drivers should have been reined in earlier

David Coulthard believes Alpine should have called an early end to the battle between its drivers in Jeddah, insisting the gripping scrap cost the pair time.

Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso engaged in a fierce wheel-to-wheel fight during their opening stint in Saudi Arabia, with the Spaniard eventually gaining the upper hand over his Alpine teammate.

A jittery Otmar Szafnauer was seen closely monitoring his driver's scrap on the Enstone squad's pitwall, but the Alpine team boss ultimately gave his drivers a free rein to race.

But Coulthard believes Szafnauer should have called an end to the battle earlier in the race.

"Interestingly, I was able to have a quick word with Otmar privately and say ‘were you okay with that?’," said the Channel 4 commentator.

"And he said ‘I’m fine with our guys racing early because it wasn’t costing us too much time’.

• Ocon: Always 'a privilege' to race with Alonso

"Laterally though, it started to take away from the bigger picture of the race, but he’s more disappointed of course about Alonso’s car stopping on track.

"You never score points if you can’t finish," added the 13-time Grand Prix winner.

"So for me personally, if I was him, I think I would have called it a little bit earlier because they have to be aiming for podiums.

"They have had a victory in the previous formula, they have to be trying to take those opportunities. And scrapping so hard that early, as entertaining as it was, won’t get them the fastest race."

While Ocon went on to conclude his race P6, Alonso's evening ended on lap 35 when he coasted to a halt at the entry to the pitlane, the victim of an apparent engine issue.

The two-time world champion walked back to his garage hitting his helmet as he fumed over his unlucky fate, a gesture that Coulthard saw as a confirmation of F1 veteran's "hunger" to succeed.

"It’s one thing to sort of play to the cameras," said the Scot.

"We know Fernando is smart enough to do that. [But] that was a moment with him, with his helmet on, of just passion and frustration.

"And that’s why he’s still in Formula 1 because if he had walked away giving it ‘well, whatever, another race’, he shouldn’t be in Formula 1.

"But it confirms to me the hunger is there."

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