Esteban Ocon will start from the pit lane during the Mexican GP. The Frenchman has to give up his nineteenth starting position as Alpine has replaced several engine parts. As a result, Guanyu Zhou, who was initially set to start from the last position, moves up to P19. The gap between Ocon and his teammate Pierre Gasly is significant; the latter will start from P8.
Alpine has decided to replace both the control electronics and the energy store in Esteban Ocon’s A524. In the current Formula 1 season, teams are only allowed to use two units of each part without incurring a penalty. However, in Mexico, Ocon will be using the third unit of both components, which automatically means he must start the race from the pit lane.
The violation has little impact on the rest of the grid. Only Guanyu Zhou ‘benefits’ from Esteban Ocon’s grid penalty and moves up from the twentieth to the nineteenth starting position. Pierre Gasly, teammate and also one of Ocon’s biggest rivals, has a better starting position. The driver from Rouen managed to qualify in Q3 and eventually recorded the eighth time. Alpine is battling for the eighth spot in the championship in this final stage of the season.
