Ocon urges Alpine F1 team to "bring more stuff" to improve car – Motorsport.com

The A522 upgrade package looked promising on Friday in Barcelona but the team had a troubled qualifying session, with Ocon earning only 12th and Fernando Alonso down in 17th after a radio miscommunication compromised his final run in Q1.
In the race, Ocon put in an impressive charge to seventh, while Alonso started last after banking a fresh power unit and yet still managed to climb through the field to ninth.
Ocon was pleased with the progress that the team made over the course of the weekend with the upgrades.
“I am confident that we are going in the right direction with any upgrades that we put on the car, it seems to be working,” he said when asked by Motorsport.com. “We know that the other teams are also progressing, and that’s what we need to keep an eye on.
“But we definitely need to bring more stuff, because P7 is good, but we’re not where we want to be. And we need to push harder to catch on the Alfas which are in front of us, and the other ones.
“We think there’s a lot for us to review this weekend. We had very good talks with the team, with Fernando, very good debates.
“And we have quite a few directions that we are quite clear on, and that the team and us need to identify exactly, because it’s tricky at the moment with this new car to understand everything. But today feels like a victory.”
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A522
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Regarding the value of the data gathered in the race he added: “We completed everything, basically. And there was a difference between the strategies as well, because Fernando had new tyres in the end. So we can also compare that. It’s all good stuff.”
Ocon noted after qualifying in Spain that he expected to have a better race car on Sunday, and that proved to be the case.
“It was, so that’s very good,” he said. “I’m very pleased with today’s result. I think to get both cars back in the points from where we started was a bit unexpected, but the rhythm in the first stint was fantastic.
“I overtook two or three cars from the first lap to the first pitstop, and there was nothing else that we could have done better, because Valtteri [Bottas] had too much speed.
“And from there we were fighting with Lando [Norris], who was quite a lot behind, but he was fast as well. So I’m very pleased, and a double points finish for the team. They deserve it.”
Ocon admitted that he was surprised to be able to make such good progress in the first stint, as others seemed to struggle more with their soft tyres.
“I was not expecting that. Usually they’re all looking after the tyres and stuff. And I was like on the first lap, I’m going to take it easy, because maybe that’s what they are doing, and they are going to have more rhythm after that.
“But they still didn’t have, they were sliding quite a lot. So I thought, Okay, let’s go. And we made easy moves. And then I thought, let’s try on Valtteri. But Valtteri had too much pace.”
Mercedes: Monaco F1 expectations lower than any other circuit
Ferrari F1 stars Leclerc, Sainz to voice roles in Toy Story film Lightyear
Ferrari prefers fast unreliable F1 car rather than other way around
Hamilton admits to “strange experience” of fearing Baku F1 accident
The highs and lows of F1’s latest supersub Hulkenberg
Ocon: Uncertain future for French GP in F1 “disappointing”
Ocon: Miami F1 eighth place “like a victory” from back of grid
The trait displayed by F1’s newest winner to earn Alpine’s trust
Alpine working to address Le Mans straightline speed deficit
Alonso: ‘Not my problem’ slow driving frustrated Hamilton
How Alpine F1 junior Oscar Piastri is spending 2022
Hamilton wouldn’t miss Canada “for the world” despite back struggles
South Africa in contention for 2023 F1 calendar slot
No “holy cows” on Mercedes F1 car as it ponders 2023 concept revamp
Ferrari prefers fast unreliable F1 car rather than other way around
Azerbaijan Grand Prix Driver Ratings 2022
Formula 1 has never had a repeat winner at Baku, and that trend continued this year as Max Verstappen avenged his 2021 tyre blowout to lead a Red Bull 1-2. Here’s Motorsport.com’s take on the weekend’s best performers
How Ferrari‘s latest implosion stitched up a plausible Baku upset
Ferrari wasn’t expected to be capable of challenging Red Bull on the streets of Baku, but Charles Leclerc took pole for the second year in a row and had assumed the lead when his engine expired. That left Max Verstappen and Red Bull doubly grateful as not only were its blushes spared, but it came away with a 1-2 and extended advantages in both championship standings
The concerning human cost of porpoising that F1 overlooked
The stiff, relatively crude suspension of the latest F1 cars is combining with the porpoising problem to create a dangerous scenario for drivers’ health, says Stuart Codling.
Why Leclerc could be only three laps short of a Baku F1 upset
Circuits with high top speeds have generally been Red Bull’s speciality so far this season but in the opening pair of practice sessions at Baku, Ferrari closed out Friday’s running on top with a good straightline speed advantage. But with Red Bull rival Max Verstappen out of sync in his practice runs, Ferrari and Charles Leclerc may not have seen his best.
The key strength Schumacher can rely on as Haas decides his F1 future
Michael Schumacher’s son has served his apprenticeship with a Haas team that brought up the rear of the Formula 1 field in 2021. Now he has a good car and a proper team-mate, he has to prove he belongs in F1. But his record to date, while not showing any points finishes, reveals there is plenty of promise he can build on
How classic Alonso strengths are helping him in a critical F1 phase 
Fernando Alonso has been involved in F1 for over two decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Ben Edwards digs into the work ethic and team-building ability which underpins Alonso’s longevity.
The overlooked flaws of the 2022 F1 cars that Baku will expose
OPINION: Though Formula 1’s return to ground-effect may have boosted overtaking, the other clear by-product of the technical overhaul has been weight gain. With wet conditions in Monaco stealing the show, the greatest shortcomings of the new rules will be on clear display at this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Is F1 barking up the wrong tree with its anti-jewellery stance?
In a new regular column, Maurice Hamilton draws on his decades of grand prix experience to give an alternative take on the news. First up, he ponders the ongoing brouhaha over jewellery…

source