Sky F1’s Martin Brundle believes that Esteban Ocon’s history of overly aggressive behavior with his teammates in F1 could damage his chances of remaining in the sport.
Brundle criticized Ocon for his ill-fated move on Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly on the opening lap of last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix and which ended in tears for the former.
Ocon slipped up the inside of Gasly as the pair approached the tight Portier corner that leads into the tunnel but made contact with the sister Alpine car, which had nowhere to go, on the exit.
The hit propelled Ocon’s car into the air. It then landed heavily which inflicted terminal damage to the A524 while Gasly was fortunately able to continue his race and secure a championship point at the end of the day.
Meanwhile, Alpine team boss Bruno Famin was left fuming and hinted at consequences for Ocon. It was later rumored that Alpine could sanction the Frenchman by sidelining him from next month’s race in Canada.
“The opening lap provided several good reminders of how fiercely competitive and desperate the battle is in the second half of the grid,” Brundle wrote in his post-race Sky Sports column.
“Further round in Portier corner just before the tunnel, literally just before the red flag was unfurled, Esteban Ocon lunged up the inside of his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and they made heavy contact.
“Ocon would be eliminated from any further proceedings with too much damage, but Gasly would finish in tenth place to score a point for the team.”
Brundle pointed out Ocon’s pattern of clashing with his teammates, namely Sergio Perez at Racing Point and Fernando Alonso at Alpine.
“Ocon is a fine and fast racing driver, but history clearly demonstrates that he has an irrational red mist when it comes to racing, particularly against his team-mates.
“He has been heavily criticised before by Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso for his intra-team aggression and contact, and now Gasly too.
“It will cost Esteban heavily as no front-running team would entertain that kind of mentality, or even perhaps any team.”
Brundle emphasized the responsibility an F1 driver carries. Their actions impact not just themselves but the entire team, their sponsors, and the significant financial investment involved.
“A driver represents hundreds of hard-working and professional people, and hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and sponsorship when driving for an F1 team,” added the former Grand Prix driver.
“You simply can’t keep attacking your one team-mate with abandon.”
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