Karun Chandhok expects the driver partnership between Esteban Ocon and his childhood friend and rival Pierre Gasly to "implode" at some point in 2023.
On paper, it appears to be a dream driver pairing for Alpine. A French team being able to field two French drivers is the dream scenario from a marketing perspective, but there is another potential story bubbling under the surface.
Gasly and Ocon grew up in the same part of France together and had a close relationship as they pursued their motorsport dreams. But a falling out along the way saw that friendship sour and, to this day, it has not quite recovered since.
The feeling is Alpine will have their work cut out keeping things civil this year if they are competing closely. Sky Sports pundit Chandhok agrees, having told Betway last November: "Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly at Alpine is going to implode at some stage. It's just a question of when."
Ocon admitted last month that he and Gasly will "never be best friends". But he pragmatically added: "That doesn't matter really as long as the atmosphere is great inside the team."
But the situation at Alpine is not the only driver pairing Chandhok is keeping a close eye on. He is also looking forward to see how Lando Norris works with highly-rated rookie Oscar Piastri at McLaren this year.
He added: "I don't think Oscar Piastri has arrived into F1 in a way that he would necessarily have liked in terms of the headlines and controversy. But beyond all of that, he's a phenomenal talent. I know some of the engineers that worked with him in F2 and F3, and these are people who worked with the likes of Russell and Leclerc, and they say he's the best young talent they've seen come through.
"So, there's a high amount of expectation on him to see what he can deliver. He's sort of going into the lion's den in some ways, because he's going into a team where Lando is very well established. He's done very well this season and really upheld McLaren's honour. In some sense, it's a great move going into that environment.
"But he doesn't seem fazed by it. The conversations I've had with Oscar, he's prepared for it. He's mentally, physically, emotionally prepared for the challenge. I think the fact that he's finally been able to get released from Alpine and test with McLaren this year is helpful for him. I'm really excited to see how that goes."
