'Nobody else thinks like him in F1' - Ocon hails “unprecedented” Alonso

Alonso ended his seven-year wait for a rostrum appearance in F1 by finishing third at the Losail International Circuit. 

Overall, it was an incredible weekend for the Alpine team as a whole as it moved 25 points clear of AlphaTauri in the race for fifth in the constructors’ championship. 

Alonso’s return to the top three makes him only the fifth driver over the age of 40 to stand on an F1 podium since 1980.

Speaking after the weekend in Qatar, Ocon described Alonso as “unprecedented” for the way he thinks ‘outside of the box’.

“Mega, high respect I have for Fernando and for [many] years,” Ocon explained. “I know how much work he puts in, how much motivation he has even now at his age and with how much experience he has and how much he has achieved in the sport. 

“It’s more than impressive. I think he’s just a legend of the sport, he’s up there with the top guys - Senna, Schumacher, and he will always remain there because what we are doing now and what I see, how he thinks out of the box compared to the other drivers is unprecedented. 

“There’s nobody that will think like him. I am glad to be his teammate and proud to push as much as we can together for our common target.”

There was a change of scenery for the Alpine duo during the break between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with both Ocon and Alonso attending the Ballon d'Or ceremony - a football awards event. 

They were responsible for transporting the main two trophies to the main stage. 

Did you recognise the mystery guests who brought the #BallonDor trophies onto the stage in Paris this evening? pic.twitter.com/W9KOyaEw0O

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 29, 2021