F1 News
Ocon is booed as he appears in Barcelona fan zone
- Sandy van Wijngaarden
The unrest within the Alpine team is noticeable among Formula 1 fans. Esteban Ocon in particular has not been loved since the incident with Pierre Gasly in Monaco. While appearing in the fan zone in Barcelona, the team, and especially Ocon, were booed loudly by the Spanish fans who were present.
Alpine's driver duo seemed like a formula for failure beforehand due to their bad relationship. This has proved to be the case in recent seasons. The two Frenchmen do not like each other and regularly clash on the track, with Australia 2023 being one of the low points.
Once again the two clashed on track in Monaco this year. Ocon attempted to overtake Gasly at Portier. The move was reckless and didn't pay off. Bruno Famin, Alpine's team boss, spoke very openly after the race about this behaviour being unacceptable. Not much later, it was announced that Ocon and Alpine's paths would part ways after this season.
Hatred aimed at Ocon in Barcelona
Formula 1 teams and drivers make an appearance in the fan zone before a Grand Prix where fans can ask drivers questions. When the Alpine drivers were announced, there was a very loud 'boo'. Even when Ocon was speaking he was booed by fans. F1 intervened by then presenting the following text on the screen behind the drivers: "Please be respectful to all teams and guests, anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and may cause the cancellations of interviews."