F1 star confirms team tracked him during rival contract talks

F1 News & Gossip

F1 star confirms team tracked him during rival contract talks

An F1 star confirmed a rumour

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Thursday 22 January 2026 22:42

An F1 star has revealed that his former team tracked him when he went to speak to rival teams.

Esteban Ocon completed a switch from Alpine to Haas for the 2025 season, and since leaving the Enstone-based outfit has been vocal about his problems with the team.

Despite enjoying a race win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, and two later podiums with Alpine, the Frenchman didn't part with the team on the best of terms.

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Alongside being denied the opportunity to say goodbye to members of the team, Ocon also confirmed a rumour that Alpine tracked him when he spoke to rival teams.

Ocon: Cars had trackers

In conversation with Lawrence Barretto for F1's Off The Grid series in Geneva, Ocon was asked if it was true that Alpine had tracked his GPS when he was at the Williams factory, to which Ocon laughed.

"Yes, I know the cars have trackers but I don't have anything to hide, I wanted to look elsewhere. So even if the car has a tracker, I was allowed to go to Williams and that's it," Ocon said.

"I went there, did what I had to do. Came out. I don't really understand why that story came out, it is normally secret information."

F1 Williams Alpine Haas Esteban Ocon