Sacked F1 star Esteban Ocon handed 'SPECIAL' seat ahead of Hungarian Grand Prix

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Sacked F1 star handed 'SPECIAL' seat ahead of Hungarian GP

The 2025 grid continues to take shape

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 18 July 2024 15:59 Updated: 13:37

An axed Formula 1 star has been handed a ‘special drive’ after his departure from his current team was announced.

The 2025 driver market was thrown into chaos earlier this year when Lewis Hamilton revealed he would be leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari next season.

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Hamilton’s announcement has left current incumbent, Carlos Sainz, without a seat for 2025, and a switch to Mercedes seeming precarious with the team appearing to favour their junior driver Kimi Andrea Antonelli.

Sainz’s availability on the driver market has seen other drivers swoop to claim a race seat, with Nico Hulkenberg moving to Sauber/Audi for 2025.

Lewis Hamilton kickstarted the 2025 driver market chaos

Nico Hulkenberg announced a major move to Sauber/Audi

What will the 2025 grid look like?

The 2025 grid will also see new faces, with Ollie Bearman poised to make a full-time return to F1 in a Haas after impressing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

However, other drivers have recently lost their race seats with Kevin Magnussen exiting Haas, and Esteban Ocon leaving Alpine.

Reports suggest Ocon could be taking Magnussen’s seat at Haas, however the team are yet to confirm whether the Frenchman will join them in 2025.

Despite departing Alpine, Ocon received a special gift from the team delivered to his home ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon will leave Alpine at the end of this season

The 27-year-old revealed via Instagram that he had received his 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix winning Alpine, commemorating his first and only F1 victory.

“My @alpinef1team race winning car has a new home an extremely special day as we welcome the Hungarian GP A521 to the family garage!” Ocon wrote.

The post showed pictures of him, his girlfriend and parents posing with the car as they beamed at the tribute from the team.

Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix in spectacular fashion, as a wet track caused a series of collisions.

The Frenchman pitted at the right time for dry tyres, which kept him out ahead of Hamilton, and with help from team-mate Fernando Alonso, managed to hold off his rivals to take a maiden victory.

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A post shared by Esteban Ocon (@estebanocon)

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Mercedes Carlos Sainz Nico Hulkenberg Kimi Andrea Antonelli