F1 | Alpine, Ocon in the third row: “Important step towards the top”

Great performance for Esteban Ocon, who managed to qualify on the third row in the Portuguese Grand Prix. The Frenchman has so far had a rather consistent weekend, and today he had the satisfaction of clearly beating Fernando Alonso, who stopped in Q2. Tomorrow the Alpine driver will start from sixth position alongside Carlos Sainz and will have soft tires available, which will be able to give him extra momentum at least in the very early stages, while the goal of improving his placing in Imola is increasingly within reach.

"I'm really happy - Ocon said. I thank the team for their hard work and dedication over the last few weeks, because today all this made the difference. We have made an important step between free practice and qualifying, our goal is to continue to improve and progress. We are there for the important positions in the race, we know it will be challenging but it is possible to make overtaking here and there are some differences on the grid regarding tire choices. The goal is to earn as many points as possible."