Ocon presented with his race-winnig Alpine

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon has been presented with his race-winning Alpine A521 which helped him secure his first career victory in Formula One three years ago.

Ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon was handed his race-winning A521 with which the Frenchman claimed his first and until now only F1 victory.

At the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, Ocon claimed a totally out-of-the-blue first Formula 1 victory with Alpine after cashing in on a chaotic Hungarian GP, as Lewis Hamilton raced back from last to what eventually became second.

Hamilton started from pole, but after a red flag to clear up the scattered broken cars and debris of turn one, the Mercedes man suddenly found themselves all alone on the grid for the restart.

While Hamilton continued to the grid on his intermediate tyres, the rest of the pack pitted behind him for dry tyres. Hamilton displayed sensational speed to move up the field and finish third, but a disqualification for second-placed Sebastian Vettel saw the seven-time world champion inherit P2.

The F1 Hungarian GP-winning A521 machinery has been now delivered to Ocon’s place on the eve of the 2024 Budapest F1 race.

His parents and girlfriend were present along with Ocon to collect the car, who has recently announced his departure from the Enstone-based F1 outfit.

Speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Ocon noted: “The Hungarian Grand Prix will always be a special race for me as it’s where I had my first win, which was also the team’s first win as Alpine,” said Ocon ahead of the grand prix.

“It is one of my favourite circuits on the calendar and one I always love to race. It is a great track to drive with high downforce and lots of consecutive, flowing corners. Overtaking can be tricky with the only real opportunities in the first sector, so it puts more emphasis on maximising Qualifying performance.

“The weather is forecast to be hot, so strategy will also come into play to help with tyre management. I am looking forward to the atmosphere in Budapest, the city truly embraces Formula 1 when we come to visit, and the fans always bring the best energy.”