Esteban Ocon completes Alpine filming day at Silverstone

Alpine

Ocon completes Alpine filming day at Silverstone

Alonso was unable to travel for the launch or shakedown

Sam Hall

Wednesday 3 March 2021 17:55 Updated: 20:14

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Alpine took to the track with its A521 for the first time on Wednesday as Esteban Ocon completed one of the team's two permitted filming days.

Alpine has officially joined the Formula 1 grid for the first time in the manufacturer's history after the team completed a rebranding exercise during the off-season, whileit launched its new car on Tuesday.

Ocon took to the Northamptonshire track on a dry day and completed 16 laps of the 5.891km circuit.

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Following his outing, the Frenchman said: "It was really good fun. First of all, it was nice to get in the car again at a track like Silverstone as that’s always something special.

"The car felt nice to drive for the first time and we managed to get through our programme as planned.

"There was a bit of a delay this morning with the fog, but once that cleared, the track was dry and that made the running very enjoyable.

"I wish I could drive for more than 100km, but that’s the limit, and I leave here with a smile on my face.

"We want to take that into Bahrain next week when conditions will be more representative with the race tyres and some heat.

"All in all, it was a very interesting day and I can’t wait to discover more about the car. I have to say, I love the new colours. It’s the best-looking car on the grid!”

She’s even more beautifully real life.
And that sound...! ?#A521Launch pic.twitter.com/tPEMln47Ti
— Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) March 3, 2021

Ocon was unable to be joined by Fernando Alonso, who returns to F1 after a two-year hiatus and partnering with the Enstone-based team for a third time.

The Spaniard had been prevented from travelling from his home in Switzerland to England for the launch due to the travel restrictions in place between the countries.

Alonso did, however, reveal his new helmet design for the year, one which harkens back to his championship-winning look from 2005 and '06.

Let’s go racing . @AlpineF1Team @BellRacingHQ @Citibank @BangOlufsen @Finetwork #emcjet @Kimoa @MAPFRE pic.twitter.com/7TINGOCvmm
— Fernando Alonso (@alo_oficial) March 3, 2021