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via Imago
F1 Italian Grand Prix Esteban Ocon of Alpine is seen ahead of the F1 Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, on September 2, 2023 in Monza, Italy. Monza Italy PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xBeataxZawrzelx originalFilename:zawrzel-f1italia230902_np9uB.jpg
![](https://image-cdn.essentiallysports.com/wp-content/uploads/Esteban-Ocon-1.jpg)
via Imago
F1 Italian Grand Prix Esteban Ocon of Alpine is seen ahead of the F1 Italian Grand Prix at Autodromo Nazionale Monza, on September 2, 2023 in Monza, Italy. Monza Italy PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xBeataxZawrzelx originalFilename:zawrzel-f1italia230902_np9uB.jpg
It’s a myth that all F1 racers come from ultra-rich families that funded their rise to stardom. While Lando Norris‘ father does have a booming business that has made him one of the richest men in Britain, Esteban Ocon hails from a very humble background. The Frenchman started his racing career by taking up karting in 2006. Seeing his talent flourish, his mechanic father had to sell his garage as well as his family house to fund Ocon’s dreams. At one point, they had to travel to the race locations in a caravan because they could not afford a house.
Fast forward to the current times, Ocon is a successful F1 racer who has 425 Championship points. In fact, the 27-year-old even had a Formula 1 Grand Prix victory in his name since he wowed everyone with a superb performance at the Hungarian GP in 2021. Now that Ocon’s tenure at Alpine is coming to an end, the French squad has decided to give him a priceless gift to commemorate his only F1 race win to date. As per reports, Alpine has allowed Esteban to keep his Hungarian GP-winning car in the garage at his home in Switzerland.
Thus, from seeing his parents sell their house and garage for his racing career to seeing his F1 race-winning Alpine car find a place in the garage of his Switzerland home, life has come full circle for Esteban Ocon. Sharing his proud moment with his fans, the Évreux native uploaded a picture of him and his parents posing with the Alpine A521 at his garage. Also present in the picture was Ocon’s girlfriend Flavy Barla. The Alpine racer even wrote a caption for the picture that read, “My @alpinef1team race-winning car has a new home. An extremely special day as we welcome the Hungarian GP A521 to the family garage!”
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While Ocon has already confirmed that he will leave his current team at the end of this year, there is no news regarding his future in F1. But there has been a recent development in the silly season that points to a new seat being vacant for Esteban Ocon’s taking.
Esteban Ocon’s Haas move might arrive any moment
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With the arrival of Pierre Gasly at Alpine last year, there were some speculations regarding Ocon’s stay at the team. While it is no news that the two French racers are not on the best of terms, they managed to survive a season alongside each other. However, Esteban has now revealed he will bow out of the French outfit where he debuted in 2021. But he has not named which team he might take up a driving role at next.
What’s your perspective on:
Esteban Ocon's journey with Alpine—Is this the most heartwarming story in F1 this year?
Have an interesting take?
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via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – March 9, 2024 Alpine’s Esteban Ocon before the race REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
A few hours ago, an update from Haas revealed that Kevin Magnussen will be leaving the outfit at the end of 2024. The Danish driver had first raced for the American team in 2017. But in 2020, he lost the contract when Guenther Steiner decided to remove both him and his teammate Romain Grosjean to hire Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher. However, Magnussen did not stay away from the team for long as he returned in Mazepin’s place in 2022 with a multi-year deal. And now, the 31-year-old will be walking away from his duties at Haas once and for all.
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Magnussen’s announcement regarding his exit from Haas has led to several claims that say Ocon will take the Danish racer’s place now. The team, owned by Gene Haas, has made some new recruitments recently as it replaced Ayao Komatsu with Guenther Steiner at the start of this season. With 27 points on their roster after 12 races in 2024, Haas is currently in 7th place above Alpine, Williams, and Sauber on the World Constructors’ Championship table.
Do you think Esteban Ocon’s probable arrival can help Haas improve its rankings next year? Tell us by commenting below.
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Esteban Ocon's journey with Alpine—Is this the most heartwarming story in F1 this year?