Clarkson makes promise to F1 team after Monaco GP and shows where loyalties lie

31 May 2023 , 09:22

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Esteban Ocon secured Alpine's first podium finish since 2021 at the Monaco Grand Prix (Image: Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

Jeremy Clarkson has promised to buy Alpine "many" beers after Esteban Ocon earned a podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix.

After securing his best ever finish last season when he came eighth in the driver's standings, Ocon was able to build on that success as he earned Alpine their first spot on the podium since 2021.

Having started the race in third after Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was handed a three-place penalty, Ocon saw off challenges from the likes of Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Leclerc to secure a third-place finish.

And Clarkson, best known for presenting Top Gear and The Grand Tour, was among those cheering on Ocon. The 63-year-old broadcaster lives in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds near to where Alpine is based and stated at the Bahrain Grand Prix that he 'roots for them' as they are his 'local team'.

During the Monaco Grand Prix, Clarkson posted a series of Tweets about Alpine, writing: "Well done Chipping Norton car. Take that Ferrari." He then followed that up by tweeting: "Come on @AlpineF1Team I’ll buy you all a pint if you get a podium here."

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Ocon then responded to Clarkson after finishing third, simply replying to his tweet with a smirking emoji. And Clarkson appears to be planning to honour his vow, adding: "Well done @AlpineF1Team I owe you many Hawkstones".

Several Alpine employees responded, with engineer Brett Foster writing: "Looking forward to it!" Fellow engineer Chris Shawe added: "Will be in the office Tuesday waiting for the delivery!"

Reflecting on his podium finish, Ocon said: "I'm speechless, I'm on a cloud at the moment – I don't know what to say! Before the weekend, if you told us that we were going to be in the top 10, we would have been happy, you know? But it's not the top 10, it's not the top 5, it's a podium!

"We are on it, and the energy I've received from everyone from [this] weekend has been awesome. I can't thank everyone enough for the support I got, and that one goes to all the team, from Viry to Enstone to the track. This one's for us and hopefully there's many more to come."

Matthew Cooper