Ocon satisfied: 'The team has worked hard on that'

Estaban Ocon's first day of the 2021 French Grand Prix was certainly an encouraging one. In the morning session he set the fifth fastest time, and a few hours later he had to settle for sixth. 

Ocon addressed the press afterwards with satisfaction, although he also saw room for improvement. "Today's practice was good," Ocon told Sky Sports. "We're back in the top ten, but know it's still early days. Both cars have good speed - that's promising - and the aim is to keep working hard and consolidate that speed."

The driver is very happy with the way the car feels. "The team has worked hard on that. Of course there are areas for improvement and there are more performances to be found. But it's great to be racing in France again and even better to see the fans in the stands."

Ocon's home race comes just days after his contract extension at Alpine was announced, and he'll be hoping to back up his form in practice with a strong points finish.

Alonso's performance

His teammate Fernando Alonso also performed well on the first day in France. The two-time world champion was seventh and fourth on the day, giving Alpine a promising Friday result.