Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon ‘ruined’ Saudi GP for Alpine with internal battle

Ralf Schumacher has said that Alpine’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix tactics “irritated” him

Esteban Ocon (right) and Fernando Alonso came close to crashing on a number of occasions during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (AFP via Getty Images)

The duel between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon “ruined” the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for Alpine, according to former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher.

Alonso and Ocon fought hard during the first few laps of the race in Jeddah, coming close to a collision that could have ended their evenings prematurely on several occasions.

Veteran Alonso was eventually forced to retire due to a power issue, with Ocon taking sixth, and the Spaniard described the in-team battle as “good”, but “very intense”, after the conclusion of the race.

Otmar Szafnauer was installed as team principal ahead of the 2022 season, arriving from Aston Martin, and appeared frustrated by his drivers on the pit wall, shaking his head during the on-track skirmishes.

His failure to exert control has been criticised by Schumacher, now a pundit in Germany after making 180 starts in F1 between 1997 and 2007.

“What irritated me in Jeddah was what Alpine did,” Schumacher wrote in his Sky Germany column.

“With the internal duel between Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon, they ruined the race for themselves.

“I didn’t understand Otmar Szafnauer there, even though he is new to the team and Alonso certainly plays a big role in the team. Ocon drove a bit like a tarantula.

“From the team’s point of view, it was badly managed because not only could the drivers drive into each other, but the fight also allowed the competition to come up from behind and both drivers wrecked their tyres.”

The team formerly known as Renault were rebranded ahead of 2021, with a retained Ocon joined by two-time world champion Alonso, returning to the sport after a two-year sabbatical.

The two drivers were tenth (Ocon) and eleventh (Alonso) respectively in the standings in their first season alongside one another.

A fifth-placed Constructors’ Championship finish was encouraging, but Schumacher fears that Alpine could be usurped this year.

“There is a development at Alpine, but we are still talking about a works team and Haas and Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo are also strong,” said Schumacher.

“It just takes too long for the team to get to the front when we consider what a force there is behind it.”