"We are mature enough"- Pierre Gasly feels racing with Esteban Ocon at Alpine an 'opportunity' for them to improve their relationship

Pierre Gasly feels there won't be any friction between him and Esteban Ocon in their partnership at Alpine. The two French drivers will be teammates next season, as announced during the 2022 F1 Japanese GP.

The two drivers used to be friends when growing up together, but over the years, their relationship deteriorated. Pierre Gasly maintained that things were cordial now between the two drivers and both are mature enough to know what is important for the team. He said:

"I think it's more than talking about the relationship. It's talking about the odds of us being teammates when we were six years old and racing in karting on a small track next to our hometown."

Pierre Gasly further added:

"I do believe this is also an opportunity for us to clear a bit what's happened in the past, and I'm definitely not worried. We are mature enough and intelligent enough to know what is best for us, and mainly most important for the team."

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Pierre Gasly: We have the common target of fighting at the front

Pierre Gasly talked about how the most important thing for both him and Esteban Ocon is fighting at the front of the grid. He said:

"At the end of the day, we all have the common target to be fighting at the front. We all want podiums, we all want to win, and we know for that we've got to work together for the team and push the team forward."

The two French drivers have one win in their respective careers and both have achieved it with a midfield car at their disposal. It will be very interesting to see what kind of results the two achieve and what kind of dynamic they have next season.

Nonetheless, they'll first be looking to finish their 2022 campaigns on a high. Heading to Circuit of the Americas in the US, Gasly finds himself 13th in the drivers' standings with 23 points. He'll primarily be aiming to fend off Kevin Magnussen in 14th, who's trailing by a mere one point.

Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon has been bagging formidable performances this season, checking in at P8 in the drivers' standings. The young Frenchman has even outperformed his teammate, former world champion Fernando Alonso.