Catching up with Alpine F1 drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly

Alpine Singapore very generously offered us a chance to interview Alpine F1 drivers, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon ahead of the 2024 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix. We asked them about what makes Singapore so special. 

Singapore is one of the few street races, how does it differ from traditional racetracks around the world?

Esteban Ocon: First of all, it’s a very long street circuit, the race is super long and very humid and hot for us. It’s a track that’s evolved in the last couple of years with the new last sector which we drivers prefer a lot more now. It’s also a track that I struggled with in the beginning of my career but now I really enjoy it after learning the tricks. 

Pierre Gasly: It’s very hard, very unique. It’s a physical challenge for every driver on the grid. It’s a street track which always offers more risk being so close to the rails and high speeds in the middle of the street, so a lot less margin for error compared to a traditional track. And it’s usually the longest race of the year, up to two hours of concentration, mentally it’s a real challenge. But that’s why I like it and gets me very excited every time I come here.

How do you prepare yourself to acclimatise to racing in the weather conditions here?

EO: We do heat acclimatisation before the event and (exercises like) cycling in the sauna. We also need to drink a lot prior to the event and we have a lot of ways to try and keep cool during the weekend. 

PG: The training plan for me already starts in January, when I start my training at the start of the year, I always consider that I got to be fit enough for the entire season, knowing that Singapore will require that level of fitness. What I do is I go in the heat, try to sweat more than usual. Last Monday I was in Dubai, spent the entire day outside in 36-degree-heat, playing padel in the sun.

How does Singapore as a night race differ from the usual daytime races?

EO: When it’s dark, the sense of speed is very different, it feels like the cars are going twice as fast and it’s a good feeling. We love street and night races.

PG: It’s funny that it doesn’t make as much of a difference as we expect, because when we put the visor down, we are so zoned in to the track and the layout that it’s more the brightness around us that changes. 

What are your thoughts on sim-racing and do you think those skills are transferable or something totally different?

EO: It’s very transferable. I know guys that have done only sim-racing that have jumped in karts or cars and were very quick straight away. 

PG: I have a very nice simulator which I use more for fun. I play it sometimes but it’s more fun, I don’t take it that seriously. I do use the simulator at the factory, we always try a lot of different setups which helps us get to the track with a better baseline. 

As an F1 driver, you’re already driving the dream car for most people. But is there a road car or race car that you would love to drive but haven’t yet tried? 

EO: I’m a big fan of cars, I’m really passionate about both classic and new cars. I think the new C8 Corvette ZR1 is one that’s quite impressive. 

PG: I actually got the chance to try the Toleman, the first car that Ayrton Senna scored points with in F1. It was incredible, it was so much more simple inside the cockpit. You just had the steering wheel, a manual gearbox, and three pedals. It was such pure driving which I really enjoyed. 

Last year’s race in Qatar was considered by most drivers to be the hardest race they’ve ever done. How did that race compare to how the Singapore Grand Prix is like every year?

EO: Usually Singapore is the hardest race but there’s two reasons why (last year’s race) was easier than Qatar. First, you don’t have the last sector in Singapore, it’s now just a straight line so it’s less demanding physically. Second, it was probably five to seven degrees hotter in Qatar and probably more humid as well and that’s why it got so tough. Now, we are going to Qatar at good times so I think Singapore will remain the toughest race, Qatar 2023 was just a standout.

PG: Qatar was an exception, probably should have not really happened at that time of the year. I’ve never ever felt anything like it before. Apart from that one race in Qatar, Singapore is always the most demanding physically.

With so much preparation needed, is coming to Singapore something you dread or look forward to? 

EO: I think the people from Singapore and around here, they love this event so much. And we see it from the airport to the hotel to arriving at the circuit, I have a lot of supporters. It’s just awesome to see and it makes it very special and most of the time it’s the people that makes it special. So I think all the supporters around the track should be proud of what they do with this event.

What are your targets for this race?

PG: As a team, it’s been a very tough last few events, Monza and Baku were very tough. It’s a season where we’ve struggled to score points. Singapore is very different to the last two events so hopefully for us, it’s going to bring us closer to the pack ahead of us.

Thank you to Alpine Singapore for having us and we wish them all the best in the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend!

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