The Miami Grand Prix was full of drama with Lando Norris finally recording his first Formula 1 victory after 110 attempts.
However, there were plenty of extraordinary storylines up and down the paddock in The Magic City.
Martin Brundle and David Croft were on commentary for Sky Sports F1 and were paying very close attention to Alpine driver Esteban Ocon.
The one-time race winner has had a very difficult campaign with the car one of the slowest on the grid in 2024.
That hasn’t stopped Ocon from producing some brilliant battles this season and his hard work was finally rewarded with a point.
The race in Miami also saw Ocon take part in a battle with his teammate Pierre Gasly that left Martin Brundle absolutely stunned.
The French pair have a history of getting in each other’s way on track but thankfully on this occasion, they behaved themselves.
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Martin Brundle amazed Esteban Ocon avoided collision during Miami Grand Prix
The 2024 season couldn’t have started in a worse way for Alpine after a difficult winter.
They were the slowest team during the opening race of the season in Bahrain and have rarely looked like challenging for points.
An upgrade package on Ocon’s car in China offered hope that the team had turned a corner.
While they still haven’t reached Q3 this season, they’re no longer right at the back of the grid every race and have joined a tight midfield battle with Haas and V-CARB.
Lance Stroll’s struggles at Alpine once again opened up a spot in the top ten for a driver in the weaker five teams to capitalise and it was Yuki Tsunoda who matched his best result of the season by finishing 7.
Oscar Piastri’s clash with Carlos Sainz saw him pit late in the race and all of a sudden Ocon found himself running in the points.
He had a brilliant battle with Fernando Alonso that the Aston Martin driver eventually won and while Nico Hulkenberg was chasing him down in the final laps, Ocon held on.
It could have ended very differently in Miami for Ocon had he and Gasly collided during the first lap and Brundle and Croft were left amazed that they didn’t touch.
It’s no secret that their relationship isn’t the best, but they saved their own races at a crucial stage of the Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Esteban Ocon earns Alpine’s first point of 2024 F1 season in Miami
As the two Alpine drivers went through the tight chicane side-by-side on the first lap, Croft said: “The two Alpines are really going for it here, [Pierre] Gasly on the inside and Esteban Ocon gets squeezed a bit by his teammate!
“Ocon goes down the inside, forces his teammate towards the wall, somehow Gasly stayed away from it and they are still going wheel-to-wheel down that back straight.
Brundle: “What? I never thought I’d see two Formula 1 cars going through turns 13, 14, 15 and 16 side-by-side!”
Watching a replay, Brundle added: Look at this pair, they just don’t give up against each other, do they? I fully expected those two to be bundled into the wall together a la Australia or Baku last year.”
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Brundle bemusement would have been shared by Alpine team principal Bruno Famin who would have been sweating over Gasly and Ocon ending each other’s races in Miami before the end of the first lap.
While it’s been reported that Alpine are more likely to retain Gasly over Ocon for 2025 with both drivers out of contract, it does appear that Ocon is being prioritised at this stage.
Famin has also said he’s ‘ready to react’ should both drivers decide to find a new seat for next season.
After being given the upgrades first in China, he’s taken a small step forward in their intra-team battle by scoring his first point.
It’s now up to Gasly to match that result at the next race in Imola.
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