Alpine driver Esteban Ocon mourned a missed chance during qualifying for Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix as he encountered engine cut-outs that cost him over a tenth.
Despite advancing to Q2 and ending up close to progressing into the top-10 shootout in 12th, Ocon was not satisfied as he suspected a Q3 appearance was possible.
The Frenchman revealed that an issue with his power unit held him back on the straights, while also lamenting wrong changes to his car set-up ahead of the session.
Considering the problems experienced with his engine and moving his A524 in the wrong direction, Ocon believes it was Alpine’s “least maximised session” this term.
“I think we did a step back unfortunately in that qualifying session on our side,” Ocon rued.
“It looks good because everyone’s saying, yeah, two cars in Q2, but no, we’ve been in Q2 a lot this year,” explained Ocon.
“This session, there was more on the table. Unfortunately, the changes we did were not the best. And on top of that, we had an engine deficit with a tenth and a half.
“The engine was cutting through the session. The turbo boost had to surge. I don’t know what happened exactly because it didn’t do that yesterday.
“But we clearly had something going on. And in terms of the straight line, yeah, a tenth and a half. That was the loss across the two cars.
“So all these little things add up. And in the end, if you put them together, you get closer to Q3. And today, yeah, that was probably the less maximised session of the year.”
When asked whether it was therefore the least maximised weekend this season, Ocon nuanced that he was referring to the qualifying alone and not the entire round.
“Not weekend. Yesterday was very well optimised,” he said. “I think the car was better yesterday, unfortunately. So, you know, it went towards the wrong direction today.
“Today is the worst, probably, maximised qualifying of the year for us. But yesterday’s quali was good”
Looking ahead into the race, Ocon thinks the changes “should be decent for race pace” and remains hopeful that Alpine is heading in the right direction to fight for points.
Ocon will start a place behind team-mate Pierre Gasly as the Enstone-based squad endeavours to get off the mark having brought weight reduction updates this weekend.
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