Million jackpot

Alpine’s success also affects the account

Pierre Gasly (l.) and Esteban Ocon (r.) finished on the podium in Sao Paulo.

(Bild: AFP/APA/NELSON ALMEIDA)

Alpine hit a potential 50-million-dollar jackpot in Brazil on Sunday. Frenchmen Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finished second and third behind Max Verstappen in Sao Paulo, saving the Formula 1 team's season.

In a rainy and chaotic race on the Interlagos circuit, Alpine improved from ninth to sixth place in the constructors' championship and is now ahead of Haas and the Racing Bulls.

"No one was on the bingo card"
The Constructors' Championship will decide how the prize money is divided among the ten teams. Experts assume that Alpine would receive up to 50 million dollars (45.9 million euros) more if the French racing team maintains its position over the next three races. "Two cars on the podium. I don't think anyone would have had that on their bingo card before the season," said Gasly. "We struggled at times, we were at the back and it was tough for everyone involved. But nobody gave up and everyone stayed focused and motivated."

Esteban Ocon (l.) and Pierre Gasly

(Bild: AFP/APA/NELSON ALMEIDA)

Ocon's joy and relief were also palpable. "I'm very happy today and I really don't know whether I'm in a dream or in reality. I am so proud of the whole team," said the 28-year-old. For a brief moment, he even thought he could catch Verstappen, "but Max was faster than us in the last stint".

"Always been a great team"
Team boss Oliver Oakes, who took up his job in August as the fifth boss in four years, spoke of a "mega success" after Ocon qualified fourth and Gasly 15th. "We were a bit frustrated that we didn't make it into Q3 with both cars, but they've more than made up for that now," he emphasized. "This team is a great team, it always has been," he said of the Enstone-based squad, which has won championships as Benetton and Renault in the past. The team's main sponsor is the Upper Austrian water technology company BWT.

Ocon and Gasly are the same age and have only been team-mates for three races. In the coming season, Ocon will drive for Haas. "I'm also very happy for Esteban, who drove a great race today. We have our history," said Gasly, adding: "We grew up together in the same area and raced karts as kids. Not only did we both make it into Formula 1, but we also became teammates and now we're on the podium together in the same team."

Ocon said it was "like the good old days when we started karting in similar conditions". He was "over the moon that I can share this podium with Pierre". For him, it was the best result since his victory in Hungary in 2021, his only one in Formula 1 so far. He added: "It proves again that we can do it and we just have to keep working hard in the last three races." With Sunday's 33 points, Alpine now has 49 points to its name, three more than Haas and five more than RB.