Esteban Ocon wants the Alp to close the gap between the hills and doesn’t care if it looks “real”.

Alpine was one of the teams to take a step back in 2023, with the likes of Aston Martin and McLaren jumping ahead and numerous structural changes taking place behind the scenes.

But now that the personnel changes have been confirmed, Okon hopes to continue closing the gap on his predecessor until 2024. Esteban Ocon wants a performance leap in Aston Martin style.

Ocon has a new team-mate in Pierre Gasly for 2023 and although he has out-performed his compatriot, both say they will not be too happy with their final standings.

After securing 4th place in 2022, Alpine looked to consolidate its position, but is now back to square one. “We have to work to improve the performance of the car. Some teams have done better than us in terms of advancement and strong upgrades to the car.

This is what we must try to change. Of course, we are already working on 2024 cars in the simulator. “We used it earlier this year and it will help us with our 2024 campaign.”

Ocon saw the examples of McLaren and Aston Martin as teams that could make a big leap forward and wanted Alpine to do the same, even if not “in real life”.

“I don’t know if it’s true. I honestly don’t care,” the 27-year-old said.

“That’s what we have to look at. This is what we should be looking for. We want to close the gap and be competitive. “We will not celebrate the New Year otherwise, because otherwise we would never have won.”

“I think it’s very funny when people ask me [what we need to improve] because [in Formula 1] it’s never just one thing. There are always a lot of details and a lot of different parts of the speed of the car that are easily missed by the eye.

“Look, we have to be stronger. Yes, in every respect. I would say we’re not the best in straight lines or the best in cornering or tire handling. It is less than everything. That’s why we have to work hard and want to give a good performance,” he said.