Esteban Ocon has suggested that he would be interested in participating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans at some point in the future, following the introduction of the new Alpine A424 hypercar alongside its new Formula 1 car earlier this week.
The brand will compete in both Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship this year, being the only other brand besides Ferrari to have a full presence on both grids.
When asked if he would be intrigued by trying out Alpine’s other top-level offering, Ocon expressed his admiration for the car and expressed his willingness to participate in Le Mans if the opportunity arises, hinting that he may not be the only one.
“The focus is always entirely on Formula 1, but I believe that once an F1 driver competes in Le Mans while the F1 season is ongoing, many more drivers will follow suit, and I’m eager to see what happens,” he said.
The last full-time F1 driver to compete at Le Mans was Nico Hulkenberg in 2015. While racing for Force India, Hulkenberg participated in the Six Hours of Spa and Le Mans for Porsche alongside Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber, winning the latter.
Although no current F1 drivers will be participating in Le Mans this year, there will be a significant number of recent F1 talents on the grid, including 2023 Le Mans winner Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari), Nyck de Vries (Toyota), and Mick Schumacher, who will be making his debut in the World Endurance Championship for Alpine.
“It’s fantastic for the Alpine endurance team to have Mick,” Ocon commented on Schumacher joining the Alpine family. “I believe he brings a wealth of experience, expertise, and he is undoubtedly a highly skilled driver in general. I genuinely hope that they will emerge victorious at Le Mans this year.”
Ocon also expressed his desire to see Schumacher return to F1, stating, “I will be supporting and cheering for them, and I hope to witness Mick back in Formula 1 in the near future.”
According to the Source racer.com