Formula 1 British GP
Ocon gets new F1 chassis for British GP to "eradicate doubt"
Esteban Ocon will get a new Alpine Formula 1 chassis for this weekend’s British Grand Prix to “eradicate any doubt” that technical issues caused his recent slump in form.
Luke Smith
Edited: Jul 15, 2021, 10:54 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Ocon enjoyed a strong start to the 2021 season as he delivered Alpine four straight points finishes between Imola and Monaco, as well as twice qualifying on the third row of the grid.
His displays played a part in Alpine’s decision to hand him a new three-year F1 contract running to the end of 2024, but his form has since taken a dip.
The French driver has failed to score since Monaco, and was eliminated in Q1 for both races in Austria while teammate Fernando Alonso brought home points.
After a first-lap retirement at the Austrian Grand Prix, Ocon said that he would be asking Alpine to change as many parts as possible on his car in a bid to try and remedy his recent struggles.
Previewing this weekend’s British Grand Prix, Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski confirmed that the team would be running a new chassis for Ocon at Silverstone.
“Esteban had two difficult races in Austria and we’re still investigating whether there are any technical reasons behind it,” Budkowski said.
“To eradicate any doubt, the team has made the decision to make extensive changes to his car for Silverstone, including a new chassis.
“Esteban performed very strongly at the start of the season and qualified the car on the third row of the grid on merit at two races in a row just a few weekends ago, so we are working together to make sure he bounces back, and this weekend is the perfect opportunity to do that.”
Read Also:
- Alonso doubts Williams will now be a regular F1 threat to Alpine
- Why the F1 title-winning Alonso is back, both on and off-track
- Coulthard: Hamilton "truly relishing" Verstappen F1 title fight
Ocon made clear after his difficult weekend in Austria that he remained as determined as ever, denying his dip in form had anything to do with signing his new contract.
“I am putting as much work as I was doing earlier this season,” Ocon said. “I’m going to the factory as much and I’m just giving it my all like I was before I signed the contract.
“It has nothing to do with the performance we have at the moment.”
Ocon added in preview of the race at Silverstone that his team was hopeful of “having a reset” after a difficult triple-header.
“The team and I have been working very hard behind the scenes to see what we can do to improve our performance,” Ocon said.
“I know we’ll come back to the level we had at the start of the season and the hard work will only continue until we achieve that and even go beyond. I’m really motivated for a good result this weekend.”
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Marko: "Changed" Gasly wouldn’t perform in F1 now how he did at Red Bull
Next article British GP "designed to feel like 2019" F1 race - Silverstone boss
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Luke Smith
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
Formula 1
Formula 1
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
Formula 1
Formula 1
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Esteban Ocon
Did Haas make the correct decision in signing Rafael Camara for F1 2027?
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Did Haas make the correct decision in signing Rafael Camara for F1 2027?
Rafael Camara to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Rafael Camara to replace Esteban Ocon at Haas for F1 2027
You Ask The Questions: Esteban Ocon
Formula 1
Belgian GP
You Ask The Questions: Esteban Ocon
More from
Alpine
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
Franco Colapinto urges fans to stop the abuse: “You’re not helping me or my future”
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
‘I’m sideways all the time’ – How Alpine’s feral F1 car plagued Pierre Gasly in Singapore
Latest news
NASCAR explains why they penalized Zane Smith after latest clash with Carson Hocevar
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
13 min
NASCAR explains why they penalized Zane Smith after latest clash with Carson Hocevar
Porsche boss Laudenbach says he is "not happy" with how things were handled by IMSA in 2026
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 45 min
Porsche boss Laudenbach says he is "not happy" with how things were handled by IMSA in 2026
Five things to watch out for at the F1 United States GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
56 min
Five things to watch out for at the F1 United States GP
KTM sees MotoGP 2027 as a fresh start: “We never had the chance to build a new bike”
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP 1 h
KTM sees MotoGP 2027 as a fresh start: “We never had the chance to build a new bike”
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe