Esteban Ocon has hinted at his desire to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans one day, after the new Alpine A424 supercar was unveiled alongside the 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 interested in sampling Alpine's other high-level offerings, Ocon said the car looked “huge” and opened the door to participating in Le Mans if the opportunity arises in the future, and hinted that it might not be the only one.
“The focus is always 2000 percent on Formula 1, but I think once a Formula 1 driver races at Le Mans during the start of the Formula 1 season, many drivers will do so, and I am waiting for that moment to see what happens,” he said.
The last full-time Formula 1 driver to compete at Le Mans was Nico Hulkenberg in 2015. While competing for Force India, Hulkenberg raced 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 taking part in Le Mans this year, there will be plenty of recent F1 talent on the grid, including 2023 Le Mans winner Antonio Giovinazzi (Ferrari), Nyck de Vries (Toyota) and Mick Schumacher Who will make his debut in the World Alpine Endurance Championship.
“It's great for the Alpine endurance team to have Mick,” Ocon said of Schumacher joining the Alpine family. “I think he brings a lot of experience and expertise, and he's obviously a very talented driver overall and I really hope they win Le Mans this year.”
Ocon also stated his desire to bring Schumacher back into Formula 1, saying: “I will support them, encourage them and hope to see Mick in Formula 1 again in the near future.”
