Alpine driver Esteban Ocon explained his controversial police video that drew the ire of many fans.
Ocon was present in a video shot together with Alpine and France’s Gendarmarie. The French police service recently secured 26 Alpine A110 cars to use as rapid intervention cars, similar to the Dubai police using Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Aston Martins.
The French driver was present to advertise the partnership between his country’s police force and the team he races for. In the video posted, the 2021 Hungarian GP winner can be seen driving the car at great speeds through some forest roads before pulling over at a police station parking lot and executing some doughnuts.
The video then cuts to him stopping and climbing out of the car along with Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. The two are then met by two French police officers who collect the keys from them.
The whole thing sparked some outrage on Twitter, especially because the car was painted in police colours. It did not help that Ocon had tweeted, “They gave me the title of chief driving officer. Starting the year right! Enjoy Gendarmerie! Happy 2022 everyone!”
Not scandalous
People on social media considered the whole episode to be a waste of taxpayers’ money, and criticised Ocon, Alpine and the police for collaborating. In response, Ocon explained his controversial police video and confirmed that the shoot was funded by Alpine themselves.
The F1 driver took to Twitter to address his controversy, saying, “After reading some tweets, I want to clarify that I was at the wheel of the A110 Gendarmerie for a promotional shooting organised by Alpine.”
The driver clarified the issue with professionalism. In contrast, the police are yet to comment on the incident and the backlash.
Read more: Ocon hails relationship with Alonso – “We overcame emotions together”