F1 News: Alpine hope Gasly and Ocon prove doubters wrong - "I count on them to show they've learned"
Alpine's CEO has explained that Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly's previous rivalry will not impact their working relationship next season.
The French squad was caught napping earlier this year when Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri decided to leave the team and sign elsewhere.
Alpine found themselves without a clear option to replace the departing Spaniard, and the team was forced to improvise with the drivers still available in the market.
After forking out a significant fee to break Gasly from his existing Red Bull contract, Alpine has now successfully assembled an all-French driver combination.
The history between Ocon and Gasly is well known in the paddock, with the grudge between these drivers stemming from their karting careers.
However, as Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi explained to RMC, the team expects both drivers to work collaboratively moving forward:
"There will be no hierarchy - there are none even now with Alonso and Ocon, and there will be none between Gasly and Ocon. They are equal", formulapassion.it quotes Rossi as saying.
"When Pierre and Esteban met, it seemed to us that they had known each other for 20 years.
"I have the impression that they have told themselves that there is an opportunity. They are mature, I hope, and they want to do something nice together.
"At 15, you can do anything, but at 26, it's time to get serious. It is potentially one of their last major contracts...
"I count on them to show that they have learned.
"Gasly is absolutely what we needed to progress... The idea was to take the best driver available or unavailable to advance the team."
There is no denying that Gasly and Ocon are two strong drivers, having performed consistently well in the last few seasons.
It can be debated which of the two is faster, but suffice it to say that both have proven capable of holding their own in the midfield.
The real question is whether a Gasly-Ocon combination can help push Alpine up the F1 grid and allow them to challenge the top three teams for podiums and wins.