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A grueling Turn 1 incident that culminated in a startling collision shook the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend, leading to a premature exit for the Alpine team duo, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. For Ocon, the impact was so forceful it broke his seat into two pieces, underscoring the brutal nature of the collision.
Both drivers shared their insights into the accident, and the devastating ramifications it had for their team.
Collision Aftermath: Ocon's Near-Miss
"I just suffered a strike into Turn 1," recounted Ocon, adding that the mishap was due to a blunder by Zhou in the rear, which ultimately led to a massive hit. "I took off by three metres, four metres, I don’t know, on the rear wheels, and when I landed it was a big hit.
My seat broke in pieces, in two parts. That tells you how much the impact was." Sadly, the crash's aftermath was immediate and severe, resulting in both cars bowing out of the race. "Those are the consequences of racing in the back, people tend to take more risks," Ocon lamented.
Despite the unfortunate incident, Ocon remained resolute and optimistic about the future, "We are going to be racing again next week, and that’s the good thing, that we can forget quickly this weekend." When asked about his physical state following the collision, Ocon assured, "So far, I’m still warm, so it’s okay.
I’m lucky enough to be between a team of very professional people, and I should be well taken care of”.
Gasly's Grievances: A Start Cut Short
His teammate Gasly, who had opted for soft tyres and started from the 15th position, shared Ocon's frustrations.
"I mean it’s very, very frustrating," admitted Gasly, "I’m especially disappointed for the whole team because we are losing both cars already after Turn 1." Gasly recalled the moments before the collision, "I took a really good start, managed to pass a couple of cars, managed to position myself well into Turn 1, brake late, pass some other guys." He continued, "And in the end, from what I saw and heard, Zhou touched Daniel, who touched Esteban, and then Esteban ended up on top of me.
It’s just unfortunate, but clearly not what we would have liked”. Asked if the race's outcome could have been different, Gasly remained pragmatic, "We knew the whole weekend we’ve been lacking pace and we were not fast enough.
But I definitely think we could have fought for a point or two if everything would have come my way. But unfortunately it didn’t."
