Formula 1 in Las Vegas, where excess meets spectacle, also features a “self-inflicted” penalty. The case involves Alpine and a (serious) communication issue between the pit wall and Esteban Ocon. The French team failed to replicate its strong performance from the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Interlagos circuit, sinking to the back of the field despite Pierre Gasly’s excellent qualifying effort, which was ultimately undone by his retirement during the race.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix tells many different stories. Mercedes’ one-two finish brought the Brackley team back into the spotlight, with their success built on the W15’s strengths in low temperatures and a higher-downforce setup compared to their rivals. Ferrari struggled with medium tire management but still managed to outpace both Red Bull and McLaren.
Saturday’s big surprise, Pierre Gasly, who had managed to qualify his Alpine on the front row, had to retire on Lap 15 due to a mechanical issue, nullifying his qualifying efforts and an otherwise strong race performance up to that point. However, this was not the only mishap for the French team during the Grand Prix.
Alpine, what are you doing? “Self-inflicted” penalty for Esteban Ocon
At the end of the first stint, Esteban Ocon was told to “do the opposite of Nico Hulkenberg”—a typical F1 term used to instruct a driver to pit (or not) depending on the rival’s decision. In this case, the German’s Haas stayed out, so Esteban Ocon correctly entered the pit lane.
However, as he approached his garage, his mechanics weren’t even out in the pit box. As a result, Esteban Ocon drove straight through without stopping, effectively completing a drive-through penalty, and had to pit again on the following lap. A peculiar case of miscommunication between the pit wall and driver, which the team has already promised to analyze ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.
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