Nico Hulkenberg continues Ocon feud after Mexican GP with pointed message
Nico Hulkenberg hit back at Alpine driver Esteban Ocon after the Mexican Grand Prix with a teasing message on his Instagram page. The two drivers enjoyed a close battle on track throughout the middle stage of the race.
The German driver, who was celebrating his 200th Grand Prix start in F1 on Sunday, qualified in 12th place but was running in P8 once the cars settled down following an immense opening lap of the race.
Ocon had also come through the field after qualifying a disappointing 15th, but when he caught up to the back of Hulkenbergâs Haas on the fringes of the points, he found himself frustrated and staring at the rear wing of the VF-23.
Ocon had offered Haas and Hulkenberg some advanced warning during the race, taking to the team radio to state: âYou can say to Haas that Iâm gonna go for it, so they better be ready,â but it wasnât as simple as that for the Frenchman.
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With Haas boasting some of the strongest straight-line speed in the field this weekend, DRS and the slipstream was not enough to help Ocon pass the German driver down the pit straight. Instead, he was forced to wait until the Haas driverâs tyres fell away in the closing stages.
Alpineâs driver did eventually find his way past, claiming the final point on offer after finishing four seconds to the good on team-mate Pierre Gasly. Hulkenberg, meanwhile, crossed the line in P13, wrapping up a difficult afternoon for Haas.
This didnât stop the 36-year-old from having a little fun with the situation. He took to his Instagram story to post a snapshot of Oconâs radio message with the caption: âYou must really like my rear end⊠What took you so long @EstebanOconâ.
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Ocon made sure to offer a response to Hulkenberg, reposting the Haas starâs story to his own and adding the caption: âYou didnât see mine for very long,â accompanied by a winking face emoji.
While neither Alpine nor Haas will look back fondly on their trip to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the latter had a particularly tough weekend. Hulkenbergâs P13 finish was a roaring success compared to the fate of team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
The Danish driver suffered a rear suspension failure while running at the back end of the grid on lap 33, sending him hurtling towards the barriers at high speed. The ensuing crash destroyed his Haas machinery and called a premature end to his race.
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