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Ocon reacts after qualifying

Ocon after qualifying: 'My car was heavier than Gasly's'

9 June at 16:30
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  • Estéban den Toom

It was not the best qualifying for Esteban Ocon on Saturday in Canada. While teammate Pierre Gasly got through to Q2, Ocon was done after Q1. The Frenchman had to make do with a P18. But Ocon has a reason Gasly was faster than him, with Gasly having a lighter car according to Ocon.

"It was super tight out there and I lost the tenths in six and seven because George (Russell, ed.) was in front quite close. Nothing he could have really done better, that's how it is. That, and the start of the lap, which I parked there for 25 seconds. It's not the right prep, driving the dirt before going into turn two," Ocon explained after qualifying

Ocon on Gasly's car

Ocon explains why Gasly drove a better qualifying session than himself. "The other thing is that it's been a couple of events that my car is quite a lot heavier than Pierre's. We will rotate fairly in the year, that is very clear, but since Miami, that is the case. When all these things add up, it makes it difficult to go through Q1."

On the exact number of kilos, Ocon did not want to tell the media too much. "I won't go into details, but it's a couple of kilos," he said. The Alpine driver will leave the French constructor at the end of the season. Ocon will have to look for a new employer for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy