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Ocon forced to start the Mexican Grand Prix from the pit lane
Esteban Ocon will be forced to start the Grand Prix in Mexico City on the back foot, as he will begin the race in the pit lane. This was announced a couple of hours before the Mexican Grand Prix.
Why Ocon will start the Mexican GP in the pit lane
It was a disappointing qualifying session for the Frenchman. He was only able to put his Alpine in P19 which resulted in a Q1 exit. Conversely, his teammate made it all the way to Q3, with Pierre Gasly qualifying 11 places better than Ocon in P8.
As a result of the poor qualifying session, the French team know that changes made under Parc Ferme conditions will not have a big effect on Ocon's starting position. Therefore, Alpine have made the decision to change the battery pack of the Frenchman's car for today's race, resulting in a pitlane start.
In a statement, Alpine said: "Car #31 will start today’s Mexico City Grand Prix from the Pit Lane as the team replaced the battery pack under Parc Ferme conditions."
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