Alpine GPS data captured Esteban Ocon’s factory visit to Williams

Esteban Ocon has signed with Haas for 2025

Marcin Budkowski claims “everyone” at Alpine knew Esteban Ocon spoke with Williams when GPS data on his company car revealed it had been sitting in the Williams parking lot for half a day.

Alpine announced in early June that the team and Ocon would part ways at the end of this season having mutually agreed to call time on their five-year relationship.

Alpine apparently paid attention to Esteban Ocon’s GPS data

He was quickly linked to the Haas team, although Williams also expressed an interest and even arranged a seat fitting of sorts with the lanky Frenchman.

“Esteban came in for, not a real seat fit, but I wanted to evaluate him for 2025 and 2026,” team boss James Vowles told Autosport.

“I needed to do that because I need to actually ascertain whether he fit in the car or not. Because he’s, as is Alex, a tall chap, but his dimensions are a bit difficult in certain dimensions.”

Adding that Ocon “was definitely a consideration” for 2025, Vowles continued: “I think where he is at the moment our paths won’t cross and I think it’s a shame because there’s certain bits that I can see would work.

“But other bits that I just don’t think will work in the time frame we have as well. But what I can say is I’m confident he will have a very successful future in Formula 1.”

Less than a week later Haas confirmed they had signed Ocon, bringing in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winner on a multi-year deal to partner rookie driver Ollie Bearman.

But according to former Alpine executive director Budkowski, “everyone” at the Enstone team knew about Ocon’s meeting with Williams, which took place in the build-up to the British Grand Prix due to the GPS data on his company car.

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Budkowski told Viaplay Poland: “He was in Enstone before the Silverstone race and when he’s there, he drives an Alpine that was lent to him as a company car.

“But these cars have trackers, the GPS. So it turned out that his Alpine car was parked in Williams’ parking lot for five hours during Esteban’s stay in Great Britain, and this is how everyone at Alpine found out that Esteban spent half a day there.

“I don’t think [he was aware]. But let’s face it, the team didn’t extend his contract so Esteban can talk to the other teams.

“It’s just a funny situation that it got out like that.”

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