Ocon: Gasly 'won't need much help' settling in at Alpine

Esteban Ocon reckons that his experienced new teammate Pierre Gasly will be up to speed with Alpine from the get-go and will prove a "good asset" for the French outfit this season.

Gasly – who spent over five years with the Red Bull family - replaces at Alpine two-time world champion Fernando Alonso who opted to leave the French outfit after two seasons and to switch his allegiance to Aston Martin.

Just as Ocon was available to help Alonso settle in at Alpine upon his return to the grid in 2021, he will do the same with his former childhood rival whom he battled on the karting tracks of Normandy as a kid.

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"I don't think he's going to need much help," Ocon told Motorsport.com. "I think Pierre is very experienced.

"He's driven for different teams, he's driven a lot in testing also prior to that. It's always a learning curve of understanding the car, how you work."

Gasly got acquainted with his new team and enjoyed his first laps onboard Alpine's 2022 car at last November's post-season F1 test in Abu Dhabi.

Since, the 26-year-old has visited Enstone to meet with his new crews and Ocon who will help fast-track his teammate's preparations.

"The team and I, we have the keys, and again, the important thing is for us to debate, do the same thing we were doing with Fernando," explained Ocon.

"Straightaway we need to be on pace to be able to score, and to give good feedback to the team, to really improve it.

"I've already [tried] some parts of the '23 cars, and it was very encouraging, incredibly fast I would say. So far, it's only simulations, but it feels good.

"We need to keep going that way, and Pierre will be a good asset for that."

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