Lando Norris was the man who stole the headlines at the Miami Grand Prix but there were plenty of standout performances up and down the grid.
McLaren were able to celebrate their first win since 2021 but the Miami Grand Prix also saw RB produce some ‘extremely confusing’ form and Logan Sargeant recorded his best finish of the season in the Sprint Race before being taken out during his home Grand Prix.
Writing on Formula 1’s official website, F1TV pundit and racing driver James Hinchcliffe reserved praise for another driver.
At the start of the season, it appeared as though five teams would be scrapping for a single point at every Grand Prix.
RB appear to have closed the gap to Aston Martin – or at least Lance Stroll – while Haas keep nicking the odd point through Nico Hulkenberg.
However, Hinchcliffe was quick to praise Alpine star Esteban Ocon as he scored the team’s first point in Miami.
The 27-year-old – taking part in his 139 Grand Prix – has been the stronger of the two drivers in the French outfit this season with Pierre Gasly still yet to get off the mark.
With his future up in the air at the end of 2024, he needs to keep putting in eye-catching performances to convince team principals to offer him a contract.
READ MORE: Alpine driver Esteban Ocon’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
James Hinchcliffe praises Esteban Ocon after Miami Grand Prix
It’s not been an easy start to season for Alpine with signs that they would be in trouble appearing months before the campaign began.
Ocon and Gasly trailed behind the rest of the pack in Bahrain and results took their time to improve.
Alpine provided some important updates to Ocon in China and there was an immediate improvement in his performance and Hinchcliffe believes he’s gone to another level in Miami.
It could have ended in disaster for the team before they completed the first lap.
The French pair went through the tricky, tight chicane – that Max Verstappen destroyed later in the race – side-by-side and both managed to escape a move that Martin Brundle had ‘never’ seen before.
Ocon finished the race by having a brilliant battle with his old teammate Fernando Alonso, and while the Aston Martin driver came out on top, he did enough to stay ahead of the charging Hulkenberg.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Esteban Ocon continues to impress in struggling Alpine
Talking about the French driver, Hinchcliffe said: “As much as [Esteban] Ocon admitted after the race that being happy with 10th place and a solitary point is not why he and his Alpine team show up to races, there was a sense of relief that they had finally put a point on the board in 2024.
“And it wasn’t easy. Ocon was involved in the battle of the day with his teammate Pierre Gasly on the opening lap, staying side-by-side for what felt like half a lap.
“It showed tremendous car control and spatial awareness, but also trust and respect from both drivers to emerge unscathed.
“Even though Gasly won that bout, Ocon was perfectly placed to jump on the Virtual Safety Car triggered by Max Verstappen hitting the bollard in T15, giving him a shorter stop time than others.
“When the full Safety Car came out, Ocon moved up from those who pitted, and then he put himself into full defence mode, holding onto what became 9th after Oscar Piastri’s wing damage.
“He then fended off a fast-charging Fernando Alonso for longer than most expected, leaving enough breathing room to bring home that final, much-deserved point.”
Where will Esteban Ocon be driving in 2025?
Alpine will be just as delighted with Ocon as Hinchcliffe was after the Miami Grand Prix but they may be looking for a replacement for the 27-year-old ahead of 2025.
Gasly is currently more likely to be retained than Ocon at this stage, although team principal Bruno Famin has admitted he’s ‘ready to react’ in case both drivers decide to move on.
Ocon is being considered as an option for Audi in case they can’t hire Carlos Sainz.
He’s also still part of the Mercedes driver pool and could be in contention to replace Lewis Hamilton.
Whatever happens, Ocon is quickly going about his business very effectively this season and will almost certainly still be on the grid next season.
The post ‘Perfectly placed’: F1TV pundit very impressed by 139-race driver who showed ‘tremendous car control’ in Miami appeared first on F1 Oversteer.