mwillems wrote: ↑06 Aug 2022, 00:10
SmallSoldier wrote: ↑05 Aug 2022, 23:57
mwillems wrote:
Yeah I agree. I don't mean to disrespect Ocon but he should have been replaced by Piastri, but patriotism got in the way of rational judgement.
I don’t know about that… Alonso is great, but Ocon was their long term bet… They had to make a decision, either continue with a short term fantastic driver (Alonso) or a long term high potential driver (Piastri)… The problem for Alpine was trying to have both at the same time and it just wasn’t possible, they didn’t only believed that they could, they were sure they had all the cards
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Ocon is Mr Reliable I think, always good to have one around but if they signed Piastri and dumped Ocon then they could have kept Alonso for another 2 years I think and he'd have done a great job, ready to hand the Baton over to a younger guy.
I don't think Ocon will ever propel them to the levels they want to hit. He's never finished a year ahead of his team mate in the standings, he's just a journeyman. For me, I would not have kept him at Alpine of Alonso and Piastri.
Can’t argue with your view of Ocon… I have him in a similar bracket as Perez, Gasly or Bottas, a reliable driver that is not a bad idea to have in your car… I could even place him in a similar position as Massa, a solid driver that in a good car could have good races and a good season, based on his age, he could stay in Alpine for foreseeable future… Is he someone that gives you Lewis, Max, Charles vibes? Not really, but is a good bet if you are looking for someone that could be part of your team for the long haul… That’s why for me, the decision with Alonso and Piastri was one of short term results (which Alonso can bring you) or a potential long term star (which Piastri seem to be)…
Let’s keep in mind that Ocon was already on a long term journey with Alpine before this whole situation and that decision of having him long term was already made… Afterwards, instead of either offering Alonso a 2-3 year deal (and potentially losing Piastri) or taking the risk and simply giving the seat to Piastri, they decided to try to have both of them, one in a 1+1 deal and the other one in a loan to another team with the option to bring him in later… In my opinion, that’s the mistake they made, they had to make up their minds quick regarding those two and they simply didn’t.
A lot of comparisons to Russell have been made, but I believe the situations are different, simply because Alpine isn’t Mercedes… The prize for Piastri wasn’t to be in the most successful team of the hybrid era… No point in waiting patiently until the opportunity arrived if you had a better opportunity in front of you (McLaren)