Esteban Ocon handed MAJOR Azerbaijan Grand Prix blow

Esteban Ocon

Ocon handed MAJOR Azerbaijan Grand Prix blow

Esteban Ocon will start from the pit lane in both races this weekend

Harry Smith

Saturday 29 April 2023 13:20

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Esteban Ocon has been dealt a major blow to his Azerbaijan Grand Prix after his Alpine car was taken out of parc ferme conditions ahead of Saturday's sprint race.

Ocon will now start both the sprint race and the Grand Prix from the pit lane, leaving his chances of scoring points in tatters.

The French driver was struggling with an exhaust leak on Saturday morning, with the team forced to take the penalty in order to fix the problem.

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Alpine's Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend has been a dismal one so far, with Ocon's team-mate Pierre Gasly suffering an engine failure in FP1 and a shunt in qualifying on Friday.

Ocon has endured a difficult start to the 2023 Formula 1 season

Pit lane pain

Ocon's pit lane start will come as a source of frustration for the Frenchman, who had qualified in P12 for the Grand Prix and in P13 for Saturday afternoon's sprint.

The 26-year-old has recorded just four points during the opening three rounds of the season, suffering DNFs in both Bahrain and Australia.

Now Ocon will have to pick his way through the grid not once but twice this weekend if he is to add to his four-point tally on the streets of Baku.