Formula One returned from the annual summer break, as Esteban Ocon finished seventh in a thrilling, incident-packed Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps to claim 6 points.
Esteban was forced to start from P16 following grid penalties after Qualifying, which gave him plenty of racing to do on Sunday's race.
After avoiding the opening lap drama and collisions, Esteban instantly made progress through the pack and onto the fringes of the top-ten points scoring positions early on.
Esteban ran a two-stop Medium-Hard-Medium strategic plan as he made full use of the strong straight line speed of the BWT Alpine A522 to great affect in making up further ground.
The Frenchman enjoyed a superb, overtaking-dominated display, as he progressed from sixteenth to seventh for his six points.
Esteban went on to make two double overtakes – one into the final chicane – the other in the closing stages of the race on Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly into Les Combes to jump from ninth to seventh, echoes of Mika Hakkinen versus Michael Schumacher in the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix!
At the chequered flag, Esteban had made up nine positions to secure 6 points with his P7 finish.
BWT Alpine F1 Team remains fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, passing the 100-point mark on 115 points heading into the second race of the triple header next weekend in Zandvoort.
Esteban Ocon (Started P16, Finished P7):
“What a way to wrap up what’s been a fantastic weekend for the team. The car was fast, and I personally had a lot of fun out there racing today, especially with those double overtakes. Well done to the team for their work this weekend, we can all be proud of ourselves.
I was feeling confident all race and the car felt great and who knows what could’ve happened if we had started further up the road!
We leave Spa satisfied, knowing it was a job well done, as well as a good haul of points for the team to extend our fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship. Bring on Zandvoort.”
Following the return to racing, the second race in a triple-header takes place at Zandvoort for the Dutch Grand Prix next week for the next round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship.
