Ocon explains cause of his early Imola qualy exit

Esteban Ocon said a suspected gearbox problem had caused his Imola Q1 elimination rather than anything related to his new engine.

The Alpine driver was a shock early casualty in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and will start 19th on the grid for the season’s first sprint.

Out of position considering his car’s pace, the Frenchman is currently the leading racer in the standings from outside the Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes teams.

He will therefore hope to make significant progress through the field in the sprint, with a new Renault engine that was fitted before the weekend’s action had begun – the second of the three he is permitted for the entire campaign.

A chaotic qualifying session in the rain meant several drivers are in surprising positions for the sprint, with Ocon revealing his was due to a car issue rather than being caught out by the tricky conditions – and not a problem connected to his new power unit either.

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“The engine change was a separate thing,” Ocon told reporters afterwards. “Obviously we are hoping we will get that engine back in the pool for Friday practice sessions, so that’s fine.

“But today, the thing that stopped us was we think there is a gearbox issue, that’s what I heard. I heard [it was] gearbox oil, so that’s why I couldn’t complete the lap and obviously the track wasn’t at the best at the end. I think