F1 driver Ocon to take on two Rally Monte Carlo stages in Alpine RGT car

Alpine Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon will demo the Alpine A110S sports car on the first two stages of this year’s Monte Carlo Rally.

Ocon will kick off the 2021 World Rally Championship season opener with a series of special stage runs in what will mark his first attempt of a rally event.

The Frenchman will begin with a private test run on Thursday to get to grips with the A110S which will have his #31 on it and feature its traditional blue livery, before taking on a high-speed run of the SS1 route from Saint-Disdier to Corps and SS2 between Saint-Maurice and Saint-Bonnet.

“This is a fantastic opportunity and I certainly cannot wait to experience Rallye Monte-Carlo for the first time,” Ocon said. “It’s a legendary event, a jewel in the calendar of motorsport and I know how special being part of it will be.

"I'm looking forward to driving the beautiful Alpine A110S. I had my first taste of the A110 in October with three laps of the Nordschleife.

"It was great that day; very comfortable and agile to drive. It's born for this kind of challenge with the tight hairpins and mountain passes.

"Rallying has actually always been a dream for me, so driving the A110S in Monte-Carlo is a brilliant way to begin the year.”

Alpine will run A110 rally cars for Cédric Robert, Emmanuel Guigou, Philippe Baffoun, Pierre Ragues and Raphaël Astier in the RGT class across the four-day event.

“This is our first activation bringing together Alpine Cars and the Alpine F1 Team with Esteban’s participation in the 2021 Rallye Monte-Carlo,” said Alpine Cars managing director Patrick Marinoff.

“Alpine has a very memorable history in rallying, especially here in Monte-Carlo. So, this is the perfect place for our F1 driver to inhale some of the brand´s finest history and at the same time enjoy the agility and exhilarating driving performance of the A110 on the iconic mountain passes it was made for.

“Alpine is well represented at this event and we look forward, not only to Esteban’s stage runs, but also how the weekend itself unfolds for our cars.”