Which Formula 1 record did Esteban Ocon break at the Austrian GP?
Esteban Ocon has made a new record in the most number of penalties in a Formula 1 race.
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With five different breaches brought against him during and after Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon has surpassed his own record for the most penalties in a single Grand Prix. Ten drivers received time penalties in Austria for going beyond track limitations, and Ocon suffered the most, having his race time increased by 30 seconds due to four consecutive incidents of running over the limit.
The Frenchman’s record of three penalties in a Grand Prix from this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix was broken, when he also earned a penalty for an unsafe release.The Alpine driver received three penalties in Bahrain: one for an incorrect start position, one for failing to service it correctly during a pit stop, and one for speeding in the pit lane.The FIA was unable to assess all 1,200 violations due to the frequency with which cars violated the white lines around the Red Bull Ring.
It took several hours for the official race result to be announced. His three infractions matched Pastor Maldonado‘s historical record of three from the 2015 Hungarian Grand Prix. It has now been broken by the Frenchman, bringing the total to five. After the race on Sunday, Ocon was one of the eight drivers who received post-race penalties. More amusingly, Ocon and his race engineer expressed their delight over the team radio that they were one of the few drivers who avoided receiving a penalty after the race.
Related: Which F1 driver holds the record for the most time penalties incurred in a Formula 1 race?
Esteban Ocon admitted he was not even aware of his 30-second fine at the Austrian GP
Esteban Ocon was unaware of his track limit violations when he conducted his post-race interview and instead claimed that he had taken additional attempts to stay on the tarmac, which served to highlight how long it took to implement penalties and determine the outcome. He said, “No, I didn’t get a penalty for track limits, I got it for an unsafe release. I stayed away from trouble! I went all the way up to the limit, three strikes, and then I backed off from there, and I took more margin. And we got another five second [penalty] for something else, so unfortunately, we’re not rewarded.”
After the 30 seconds were added to his overall race time, Esteban Ocon opted not to address the media. However, because the Frenchman was merely moved from 12th to 14th as a result of the penalties, his transgressions did not cost him any points. This year Ocon looks a little bit out of sync. Both the Alpine cars were competitive in the Austrian as well as the Canadian Grand Prix and a newly found cash flow from Wrexham’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney might help the team go forward to clinch better performances in the upcoming race weekends.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)