The Las Vegas Grand Prix offered plenty of storylines, particularly at the top of the field, with a Mercedes one-two, Max Verstappen’s championship, and the internal battle at Ferrari. However, other incidents also marked the race, especially in the fight for sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Alpine, Haas, and Racing Bulls are vying for around twenty million in prize money tied to the standings.
Alpine entered Las Vegas leading this pack, thanks to their double podium in Brazil and a car improved by the latest technical updates. Expectations were further bolstered by Pierre Gasly’s third place in qualifying, achieved with a low-downforce setup that paid off, at least in single-lap performance.
However, during the race, these hopes quickly faded. Gasly retired after his first stop due to a technical issue that initially caused a loss of power and later forced him to return to the pits permanently. But this was not the only setback for the French team, as a missed pit stop with Esteban Ocon at the end of his first stint effectively ruined his race.
After ten laps, Esteban Ocon was still in 11th place, the same position he started from, caught in a group of cars that included Nico Hülkenberg, whom he was using as a benchmark. In an attempt to shake things up strategically, Alpine suggested Ocon do the opposite of Hülkenberg, who was managing front tire graining.
If the German pitted at the end of lap 11, Ocon would stay out to extend his stint and create a “tire delta” for later stages using the harder compound, a common tactic to disrupt rivals’ strategies. Conversely, if Nico Hülkenberg stayed out, Ocon would pit for fresh tires to attempt an undercut.
The call came late as Esteban Ocon was driving down the Strip straight, but he followed instructions, pitting while Nico Hülkenberg stayed out. The aim was to diversify strategies and attempt a one-stop race, but this plan quickly unraveled. Upon entering the pit lane, Ocon found no mechanics waiting for him, essentially turning the pit stop into an unintended drive-through penalty.
“It was a tricky situation; we were trying to do the opposite of Nico Hülkenberg. In the end, we did an empty drive-through because we didn’t change the tires, which compromised our race. I think we definitely could have fought for points without that issue,” Esteban Ocon explained post-race.
“We didn’t maximize our potential, while others did. We know how close the standings will be by year-end, and we need to do better in the next races to have a chance at catching up.”
A similar situation occurred with Carlos Sainz during his second pit stop, but Ferrari managed to intervene at the last moment and instructed him to stay out, a response that was absent for Esteban Ocon. The Frenchman pitted the following lap to change tires, but by then, his race was already ruined, dropping him to second-to-last. Alpine attempted to salvage the situation with a one-stop strategy, hoping to turn the tables, but it was not feasible as, like other cars, the A524 struggled with graining.
Last year, managing graining was one of the keys to Esteban Ocon securing fourth place at this circuit. However, this time, it wasn’t possible as teams shifted to two-stop strategies, forcing Alpine to adapt their race plan.
Speaking about Esteban Ocon’s missed pit stop, Oliver Oakes confirmed the team’s error: “Yes, it was a mistake on our part. But we need to go into detail to understand what happened.” Ocon did nothing wrong, as he followed the team’s instructions precisely. However, without the mechanics ready, the missed pit stop wasted time unnecessarily: “It’s never just one thing, but that’s essentially what happened.”
The Alpine Team Principal refrained from specifying why the mechanics weren’t prepared, suggesting either a late call from strategists or an issue in tire preparation behind the scenes.
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