GPS on Alpine company car revealed Esteban Ocon Williams F1 visit

Marcin Budkowski has claimed “everyone” at Alpine found out Esteban Ocon had made a visit to F1 rivals Williams thanks to GPS data on his company car.

Ocon signed with Haas after Alpine confirmed back in June that they would be parting ways at the end of the 2024 season.

Williams boss James Vowles revealed in July that Ocon had visited Grove for a seat fit as the team weighed up their future driver options.

Former Alpine executive director Budkowski, who left the French squad in 2022, has claimed that GPS data on Ocon’s company car revealed he had been at Williams.

“He was in Enstone before the Silverstone race and when he’s there, he drives an Alpine that was lent to him as a company car,” Budkowski is quoted as telling Viaplay Poland.

“But these cars have trackers, the GPS. So it turned out that his Alpine car was parked in Williams’ parking lot for five hours during Esteban’s stay in Great Britain, and this is how everyone at Alpine found out that Esteban spent half a day there.

“I don’t think [he was aware]. But let’s face it, the team didn’t extend his contract so Esteban can talk to the other teams.

“It’s just a funny situation that it got out like that.”

Williams ‘evaluated’ Ocon for ’25 and ’26

At last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Vowles confirmed to Autosport that Williams had been evaluating Ocon for a potential drive in either 2025 or 2026.

Williams ultimately signed Carlos Sainz on a multi-year deal following the Spaniard’s exit from Ferrari to make way for the incoming Lewis Hamilton.

“Esteban came in for, not a real seat fit, but I wanted to evaluate him for 2025 and 2026,” Vowles told Autosport.

“I needed to do that because I need to actually ascertain whether he fit in the car or not. Because he’s, as is Alex, a tall chap, but his dimensions are a bit difficult in certain dimensions.

"Everything we are doing at the moment is - just to clarify that one - for '25 and beyond on drivers, nothing else.

"He was definitely a consideration. I've known him for many years, obviously, at Mercedes, [he] fell under myself and Toto [Wolff] and Gwen's management and looked after him.

"He's been mighty quick. You don't outqualify Fernando [Alonso] unless you are mighty. If you create the right environment around him, he can be very strong. So that's why he was a consideration.”

Vowles suggested at the time that Ocon is unlikely to be an option for Williams in the future.

"I think where he is at the moment our paths won't cross and I think it's a shame because there's certain bits that I can see would work,” he added.

"But other bits that I just don't think will work in the time frame we have as well. But what I can say is I'm confident he will have a very successful future in Formula 1.”

Ocon will partner F1 rookie Oliver Bearman to form a new-look line-up at Haas in 2025.