Esteban Ocon bagged Alpine's best result of the 2021 F1 season at Portimao, finishing in seventh just ahead of teammate Fernando Alonso as the French team scored their highest finish so far this year. The Alpine car looked quick all weekend in Portugal as the team's upgrades since Imola took effect, and Ocon is looking to carry forward that momentum into the Spanish Grand Prix. In a statement ahead of the race in Barcelona this weekend, Ocon said the team will have to keep pushing forward if they are to consistently compete with the likes of Ferrari and McLaren in the midfield. "Barcelona is a challenging circuit but one we know very well. It’s been the location for testing for many years, especially during my Formula 1 career, so it’s a place where I’ve completed many laps. Sector 1 and Sector 2 are fast and challenging with the tyres getting very hot in the long corners at Turns 3 and 9," he said. "The final sector is tricky as it’s slow-speed and by that point on the lap you tend to lose a bit of grip. "It was great to fight with Ferrari and McLaren [in Portugal], but we must aim to do that consistently and, of course, beat them. Let’s see what we can do this weekend. It will be interesting to see how the car performs at this circuit."
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