Alpine forced to change Ocon’s chassis after damage from Vegas drain cover

Alpine have confirmed that they will change Esteban Ocon’s chassis after he sustained damage due to a loose drain cover at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
(L to R): Matt Harman (GBR) Alpine F1 Team Technical Director with Ciaron Pilbeam (GBR) Alpine F1 Team Chief Race Engineer
(L to R): Matt Harman (GBR) Alpine F1 Team Technical Director with Ciaron…

Ocon picked up significant damage to his car in the early stages of first practice in Las Vegas.

It means two cars were significantly affected by the loose drain cover on the long straight. 

Carlos Sainz’s session was also cut short by the loose drain cover, forcing him to pull to the side of the track, resulting in the first red flag of the session after just eight minutes of running.

FP1 was then completely cancelled with organisers forced to check the circuit on safety grounds.

Alpine announced the news on social media: “We will change the chassis on Car #31 due to damage from a suspected drain cover on track.”

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