Esteban Ocon will return to the place of his greatest success in the 2024 Formula 1 season. This will be the last time he will compete in the Hungarian GP with Alpine. In 2021, he sensationally secured victory in Budapest for the French team. A success that still resonates. Because it helped Ocon to receive a very special gift.
In the run-up to the 2024 Hungarian GP, Ocon received the Alpine A521 with which he had driven to his only Grand Prix victory to date – after a long wait. “It was something that was always in my contract and of course it’s incredible that I’ve finally got it. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time,” said Ocon happily about the handover. Alpine documented the moment in a video on social media.
“It’s now an old generation car. So it’s something like a historic car, which sounds pretty crazy,” said Ocon. The handover of the car was a big moment for him and his family, as he admitted: “It was very emotional. My parents and all the people I love were there. Then to see it being brought into the garage was more than special.”
Alpine rolls into parents’ garage: Esteban Ocon tears up
The 27-year-old added that he and his father couldn’t even hold back a few tears. Before the Formula 1 car arrived, his father spent three days cleaning the garage thoroughly so that the Alpine’s new “parking space” would shine in its best possible light.
There is no special exhibition hall for the car, instead it is currently in the Ocon family garage. “The plan is to take it somewhere else in the future where it can be looked at and where other people can see it. But for now we’re keeping it in the family garage for a while where we can see it and enjoy it,” Ocon explained the future plans for the car.
This is not just the chassis of the car. According to Ocon, it contains all the components that make it roadworthy. “It has an engine and a gearbox. It’s complete and that makes it even more special,” he said. So could he do laps in it again one day? “I want to drive it again. I just don’t know when, maybe in 10 to 15 years. It would be a very special track day car.”
Esteban Ocon’s only Formula 1 victory came about somewhat luckily after a chaotic start with several accidents in Turn 1 and a strategy error on Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. Nevertheless, Ocon does not want to downplay his success. “It was not planned and we did not expect it because we did not have the speed to get there. But it was a very solid weekend in which we were able to get the most out of everything.”
“We were able to withstand the pressure of a four-time Formula 1 world champion (Sebastian Vettel) throughout the race and we executed the race well. That is why it is definitely the highlight of my career.” It is not yet known which team Ocon wants to set such highlights for in the future. He has not yet been confirmed for an F1 cockpit for 2025. According to consistent reports, he is already at Haas. Contrary to the expectations of many observers, there was no official announcement before the Formula 1 weekend in Hungary – only the departure of Kevin Magnussen: