Reynolds' F1 team sets 8-year unwanted record as Ocon responds to 'disaster'
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon has sent words of encouragement to his team and investor Ryan Reynolds after a disastrous qualifying at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Neither Ocon nor teammate Pierre Gasly managed to get out of Q1 - placing 19th and 20th respectively - with fears over Alpine being the slowest car this weekend confirmed. Alpine's rivals such as Haas and Williams showed great pace, with Niko Hulkenberg even making it into Q3. The last time they suffered a double-Q1 elimination was Baku all the way back in 2016.
Despite struggling in qualifying, Ocon has issued a rallying cry to his Alpine team. "Only round one guys. We keep pushing. I have faith in you guys," the Frenchman said on the team radio as he returned to the pits.
To make matters worse for Alpine, two Red Bull pit crew members stepped in to help cool Ocon's brakes during the parc Ferme weighing for the eliminated cars from Q1. "We knew it wasn’t going to be easy today," Ocon added on social media. "But we’re sticking together and we won’t stop pushing. Race day tomorrow."
Ocon and Gasly will need to keep their cool as the season progresses with the team playing catch-up. Alpine will not want their drivers at odds with each other as the team navigates what looks like a tough season. The Alpine duo aren't the best of friends either after it was revealed in the latest season of Netflix's Drive To Survive that their childhood relationship turned sour.
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From the ages of six to 10, they spent all their time together karting, however, during a national championship in 2008, Gasly overtook Ocon on the last lap, beating him in the race, and their relationship was never the same. "I know Esteban I know him like a younger brother," Gasly admitted in the series. "The only thing with Esteban there are a lot of problems and tensions. We both know we'll never be best friends."
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Ryan Reynolds' investment in Alpine alongside other celebrities was confirmed last year (Getty)He also added: "I know I've given Esteban many, many chances to make this relationship work. If someone doesn't want to be friends, that's fine."
As for the front of the grid, it was business as normal for Max Verstappen, with the reigning F1 world champion starting in P1, followed by longtime rival Charles Leclerc in P2, and Mercedes' George Russell in P3. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton, who will depart for Ferrari at the end of the year, had to settle for P9.
"It was a lot of fun," said Verstappen. "The track has a lot of grip but with the wind, it has been quite tricky to get the whole lap together and it was the same today. To really get everything out of it in Q3 was a little bit difficult. It was a little bit unexpected but luckily in qualifying the car came to us and I felt a little bit happier with the whole car.
"We just needed to fine-tune a few things to get that perfect balance but lucky we went in the right direction and could push a little more in qualifying. In the race, it is going be close as well. We do look good and I am confident we can have a strong race."
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