Drivers beware! ‘War mode’ activated as ‘wasted opportunity’ admission made

Esteban Ocon has said he’s going to go “back to war mode” in the off-season, making sure he is fully focused on racing when the 2024 season comes around.

The Alpine driver narrowly lost out in the head-to-head battle with team-mate Pierre Gasly this year, with multiple retirements having hindered his cause in 2023.

As a result, despite a podium in Monaco, this has left the Frenchman feeling that the season just gone was one of a “wasted opportunity” at several rounds.

Esteban Ocon vows to go to ‘war mode’ after ‘wasted opportunity’ in 2023

Alpine have undergone a season of significant changes away from the track, following the sackings of Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane mid-season and high-profile investors joining the team.

But having had lots going on away from the circuit, Ocon has vowed to make the track his priority in 2024, with plenty at stake for the team as they look to reel in the gulf to the top five teams in front of them in the Constructors’ Championship.

“I think there’s been some very good things, some very good opportunities that we took, but the consistency overall hasn’t been there and we had too many DNFs,” Ocon said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“That has cost us, I think it’s nine DNFs in total, probably the most of any drivers.

“If you remove the issue we had with the gearbox in Singapore, and the contact with Oscar [Piastri] in Austin, we could have been in the top 10 in the championship, so that’s why it’s a little bit of a wasted opportunity.

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“From January 2 until the first test I will be back fully into training camp. I’m going to be more doing the way I was doing it in 2022, which is no life, flat out, only racing.

“We’ve been doing a lot of different things and activations outside the track this year – that’s going to change next year.

“It’s back to war mode and fully focused on the racing side. Before that there’s going be the Christmas party of the team, there’s going be some simulator work.

“I’m going be able to have a couple of days seeing my family that I haven’t seen for a while. We’re going to have some good times with friends, with Mick [Schumacher], with all my friends in December as well, and then it’s fully focused on next year.”

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