Esteban Ocon gets to keep a very special present: His contract stipulates that he gets his winning Alpine from 2021, which is now in the garage
Esteban Ocon received a very special gift this week. Shortly before the Grand Prix in Budapest, the Frenchman was presented with the Alpine A521 in which he won his first and so far only Formula 1 race in Hungary in 2021.
The car is now parked in Ocon’s father’s garage in his hometown of Evreux in Normandy, where the Ocons once sold their possessions to finance the Frenchman’s early racing career.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” laughs Ocon, who has a clause in his contract with Alpine that allows him to keep his winning machine. “It’s a last-generation car now, it’s like a historic car now, which is pretty crazy!”
For Ocon, it was a special moment to see his winning car being delivered. As well as his family, many other friends and companions were there to experience the moment.
“At the same time, we had a few old suits and trophies on display, and I was able to see all the trophies I’ve won throughout my career,” says Ocon. “And yes, it was very emotional and me and my dad had to shed a tear.”
According to the Alpine driver, the engine and gearbox are even still installed in the car, making it complete and therefore “even more special”. And it is actually rare for teams to hand over cars with a hybrid engine due to the complexity of the systems.
For now, space in the garage
“If one day, I don’t know, in ten to 15 years, I want to drive it again – why not?” he laughs. “It’s a very special trackday car, let’s call it that.”
When asked whether there is room in his father’s garage to showcase his career successes, Ocon replies: “At the moment, yes.” But: At some point, the car will be given another place where it can be displayed and viewed by others.
– Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) July 16, 2024
For now, however, it will remain in the family garage at home “so that we can all see and enjoy it”, says Ocon.
Because how much this moment meant to his father in particular is shown by the fact that he “spent three days cleaning the garage and making sure you could eat on the floor, which was quite a lot of work”.
“It’s certainly a proud moment,” said Ocon. “Of course we are all very happy. “
Ocon criticized: Alpine didn’t always listen to us
However, getting a second car for a second victory is likely to be difficult. Alpine is struggling in the 2024 Formula 1 season and is certainly not where Ocon would have liked it to be when he signed the long-term contract a few years ago. In any case, they are a long way from the expected attack on the top
My @AlpineF1Team race winning car has a new home an extremely special day as we welcome the Hungarian GP A521 to the family garage! pic.twitter.com/HoQKcN9G1F
– Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) July 16, 2024
“There are a lot of things that weren’t as they should have been,” admits Ocon, also taking the team to task: “From my side, from Fernando’s (Alonso) side, from Pierre’s (Gasly) side, from Dani’s side, we said a lot of things about the development of the car,” he says.
But unfortunately, the corresponding feedback or confirmation did not always come back. “And sometimes we weren’t listened to as we should have been,” he criticizes. “We still have some problems that we had a few years ago. “
There is no shortage of resources
“We’ve been through a lot of other things. But you can’t wait years to solve some problems. That’s exactly what happened,” said Ocon. “The circle didn’t come back and the problems weren’t fixed the way they should have been, which is frustrating.”
“It’s frustrating for everyone because obviously we don’t have a car that works the way we thought it would and we have to live with that. “
However, he emphasizes that it is not due to a lack of money or resources: “This team has a lot of resources, the factories in Viry and Alpine in Enstone are huge,” he says.
“I wish this team the best for the future. I hope they can be as competitive as they have been in the past,” says Ocon. “I won’t be here in the future to know exactly how things are going, but I hope this brand can shine again. “
