Alpine gave Esteban Ocon his first F1 victory
Three years to the day after his magnificent victory in Budapest, the driver from Normandy received the fabulous surprise on Tuesday of being presented by his Alpine team with the car with which he won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021. A priceless gift on a day that will forever be engraved in his memory.
In a week marked by the Hungarian Grand Prix, Alpine surprised their driver Esteban Ocon by offering him the Alpine A521, which had won on the Hungaroring circuit. This symbolic gesture comes as Alpine and Ocon will part ways at the end of the year after five years of collaboration. This gift recalls a crucial moment in the career and even the life of the Normandy driver, on August 1, 2021, when he experienced a real turning point thanks to this victory.
A memorable victory
On Sunday, August 1, 2021, Esteban Ocon probably didn’t expect to win after qualifying in 8th position. However, the day took an unexpected turn. Shortly before the start, rain made its appearance, forcing all drivers to switch to intermediate tires. At 3:00 pm, the lights went out and the race began, leading to a general chaos. Valtteri Bottas, then a Mercedes driver, missed his braking point and crashed into the McLaren of Lando Norris, triggering a chain reaction that affected several cars, including the Red Bulls of Perez and Verstappen. Perez, Norris, and Bottas had to retire, while Verstappen, with damaged side pods, only finished 9th.
Taking advantage of this pile-up, Ocon went from 8th to 2nd position behind Hamilton before the race was interrupted by a red flag. When the race resumed, the track quickly dried up behind the Safety Car. While all the drivers went back to the pits to change tires and switch to slicks, Hamilton chose to stay out, finding himself alone on the grid at the restart, an unusual sight in the history of F1. This strategy quickly failed, forcing Hamilton to pit on the next lap and rejoin in last position, leaving Ocon free to lead.
For over 60 laps, Ocon resisted the pressure of Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel, finally crossing the finish line in first place to claim his first victory in Formula 1. This victory was made possible thanks to impeccable race management from Ocon and the excellent team work of Fernando Alonso, who brilliantly defended against Hamilton for several laps, preventing the latter from winning the race.
To immortalize this victory, Alpine has decided to deliver the Alpine A521 directly to Esteban Ocon’s home. This symbolic gesture underlines not only the importance of this victory for Ocon and Alpine, but also the special relationship between the driver and the team. This moment of communion and nostalgia was shared on social networks, bringing some joy and good humor in a difficult season for Alpine, currently 8th in the constructors’ championship with only 9 points scored and on the verge of parting ways with Ocon. Free at the end of the season, the future of the winner of the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix is still undecided, although discussions have emerged with Haas, offering him the possibility to stay in Formula 1.
