Esteban Ocon has admitted that he and Pierre Gasly won't ever be "friends" but is certain that both can be "professional" Formula 1 teammates. Gasly has joined Ocon at Alpine after departing AlphaTauri and the Red Bull programme for 2023, with both drivers having raced together in karting and junior formulas. However, their off-track relationship is known to be weak, with both drivers keen to put the history behind them and focus on the future. While Ocon believes they will be able to work together, he has admitted that the relationship won't ever be more than 'teammates.'
Ocon on Gasly truth
"I am confident, obviously [the media] like the headlines or these kind of stories," Ocon explained to media including RacingNews365 at the Alpine launch about working with Gasly. "We're both very professional and we're going to work the way we need, [but] I don't think we will ever be best friends. "But that doesn't really matter as long as the atmosphere is great inside the team, and that is how it is at the moment. "That is how it will remain during the year but the important thing is that we keep those open conversations that we're having at the moment [throughout] the season. "We're not at a point where we can win every race, we need to develop, we need to get the maximum conversation flow going to find ideas moving forward. "I'm not worried, it is going to be a great collaboration together, it has already started and I look forward to it.
Both Ocon and Gasly were born in 1996 in Northern France, and the Normandy region and are part of the wave of French drivers of the late 1990s, including the late Anthoine Hubert and Charles Leclerc - who hails from Monaco. When asked by RacingNews365 about the relationship, Gasly was clear that things were going well. "So far, it's been really good," he explained. "We spent a lot of time in December at the factory, went to lapland together, spent some time in Paris, and I must say, I am really happy. "We are both really professional and aware of the task that we are facing. The target is to be winning races, and how do you achieve that? "You achieve that by working together and giving good feedback to the team, and pushing them forwards. "It is great team spirit, and that what we want to achieve, so no doubt that we will work well together."
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