Ocon was fourth fastest in qualifying in the principality, lapping 0.188s shy of polesitter Max Verstappen. He then inherited a place when Charles Leclerc was penalised for blocking Lando Norris.
In the race, 2021 Hungarian GP winner Ocon held on against Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton during a rain-hit final stint to score his first podium of the season aboard the upgraded A523 machine. Team-mate Pierre Gasly, meanwhile was classified seventh.
The headline result arrived after Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi set up an interview with French media during the Miami weekend to label his team as “amateurish” at times.
Prior to Monaco, the squad’s best result had been eighth while Ocon and Gasly notably wiped each other out late on in Australia to deny a double-points finish. Throughout the Monaco weekend, Ocon was reluctant to tackle Rossi’s comments head-on.
Asked for his reply again following the third-place result, he said: “Everyone’s delighted. Formula 1 is unpredictable. You don’t know what’s going to happen.
“At the moment, how tight the field is, a bit more pace can change your weekend completely. This weekend has been an awesome one, awesome preparation.
“As I keep saying, we keep pushing. We don’t stop believing. Hopefully, that’s the first podium of many.”
Source: Autosport