Alpine's Esteban Ocon cautiously optimistic despite encouraging Chinese Grand Prix

He emphasizes that it's premature to declare a turnaround for the team in the 2024 Formula 1 season. 

Despite a challenging start to the year with no points scored prior to Shanghai, the French driver remains cautious about drawing conclusions from one race.

"We haven't scored one point this season, so it is early to say," Ocon stressed to media. "But it is our best finish of the year with both cars."

While both Alpine cars made it into Q2 in China and Ocon narrowly missed out on points, he highlighted the need for prudence in interpreting the results. "We need to be careful what we read into it," he warned. "There were many things happening and a lot of contenders were at the back."

Acknowledging the progress made, Ocon expressed mixed feelings about the outcome. "I feel like it was a very strong weekend on the operational side and in my driving," he stated. "But I'm a bit disappointed not to be in the points."

A significant challenge for Alpine has been the weight issue with its chassis, affecting performance on the track. In response, the team introduced a new, lighter chassis for the Chinese Grand Prix, aiming to address this concern. 

However, Ocon hinted that the results may not have fully met expectations based on simulations.

"It is a very good effort, on that side of weight-wise, it is definitely a step-improvement," Ocon commented. "But we need to dig in to see if we were managing to extract the maximum from it."

Looking ahead to the F1 Miami Grand Prix over the weekend of 3-5 May, Ocon and the Alpine team are gearing up for the next challenge. With practice sessions and qualifying looming, they remain focused on making further progress in the season.

As Ocon aptly summarizes, "We are going in the right direction, small steps at a time."

The upcoming Miami Grand Prix, scheduled as the sixth race of the 2024 F1 season, promises another opportunity for Alpine to showcase their advancement and continue the journey towards competitiveness in Formula 1.