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 Jul 22, 2025
1998 Belgian GP: When the Schumachers went to war
The race that transformed perceptions of Red Bull
Formula 1
Formula 1 Apr 19, 2023
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 Feb 18, 2023
Hamilton in the process of selecting Brad Pitt’s co-star for F1 movie
More from
Esteban Ocon
Fred Vasseur personally contributed $1m to Esteban Ocon’s first F1 drive
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
6 d
Fred Vasseur personally contributed $1m to Esteban Ocon’s first F1 drive
Ayao Komatsu: Esteban Ocon axing ‘surprised everybody at Haas’
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
6 d
Ayao Komatsu: Esteban Ocon axing ‘surprised everybody at Haas’
More from
Alpine
"Colapinto never hit the apex" – Audi's take on contentious Nico Hulkenberg penalty in Brazilian GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 d
"Colapinto never hit the apex" – Audi's take on contentious Nico Hulkenberg penalty in Brazilian GP
A fond farewell to a few WEC favourites
WEC
Monza
A fond farewell to a few WEC favourites
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
5 d
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Latest news
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 2 h
“I was getting beat up” – How Daniel Ricciardo burned out on ‘humiliating’ F1 return
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
IMSA
IMSA IMSA 3 h
Myers Riley Motorsports adds Andretti alongside returning Fraga for 2027 IMSA GTD campaign
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Las Vegas GP
3 h
Las Vegas GP reveals neon sign-inspired trophy design
Feature
Discover prime content
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s
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