The shootout in Formula 1 for the sprint from Brazil was overshadowed by a violent impact from Alpine driver Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman then blamed Fernando Alonso. The F1 oldie found clear words for his part.
Thick air between Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso after the accident on Saturday in the sprint shootout. “It’s difficult to talk to Esteban (Ocon, editor’s note). He blames everyone else. That’s Esteban and that’s okay,” Alonso shot in the direction of the 27-year-old after the sprint.
The two F1 drivers collided at the exit of the Senna-S during SQ1 when Ocon wanted to pass the slow Alonso on a fast lap. The Frenchman then slipped into the barrier and was not injured. After a short examination at the medical center, he was cleared to compete in the sprint race.
For his part, Ocon said after the “hard hit” against Alonso: “It’s hard to swallow because we were making good progress in this round. We were about to get into SQ2. But then we stopped on the way Met Fernando (Alonso, editor’s note). People said to me that I lost control of the car, but that’s not true. […] Fernando moved to the left in the middle of the corner and didn’t leave enough space. Then we collided.”
In fact, different Formula 1 experts assessed the situation differently. For Sky UK’s Martin Brundle, Ocon was clearly to blame because he “lost control of his car.” For his German colleague Ralf Schumacher, it was Alonso who should have made more space.
No penalty for Alonso or Ocon
Meanwhile, the FIA was unable to identify a main culprit in its investigation and decided not to impose a penalty. “Alonso knew that Ocon was approaching at high speed at the exit of Turn 2. Therefore, Alonso deviated from the racing line to allow Ocon to overtake. In Turn 3, Ocon lost control of the vehicle and came off his at the exit of the corner Ideal line. At the same time, Alonso continued to steer towards his ideal line, so that Ocon had less space. The combination of these two elements led to the collision,” the statement said.
Both drivers were able to start the subsequent sprint after the shootout crash. Alonso finished eleventh, Ocon finished 14th.