WATCH: Esteban Ocon pulls out first red flag of FP3 in Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Esteban Ocon’s third free practice (FP3) session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku Street Circuit came to an abrupt halt after his Alpine car suffered a sudden breakdown, bringing out a red flag. The French driver’s incident happened midway through the session, catching many by surprise and causing a significant disruption on the track.

Ocon’s Alpine appeared to stutter and shudder before coming to a complete stop in the middle of the circuit, leaving him stranded. Marshals quickly arrived at the scene, assessing the situation and preparing to remove the vehicle.

Here is the video of Esteban Ocon:

RED FLAG 🔴



Esteban Ocon has stopped his car on track just after T17 with a problem to the car.#F1 // #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/rgmhv76IPk

— Motorsport_Live (@luca79020294) September 14, 2024

The key question became whether the car would be wheeled off to the side of the track or require a flatbed truck for removal. This decision was crucial, as it determined how long the red flag delay would last.

Commentators quickly noted the severity of the situation, with one stating, "It’s an Alpine! That’s gonna be red," signalling the likelihood of an extended interruption. Indeed, Esteban Ocon's session was done for the day, and the team began evaluating what went wrong with the car.

The incident raised concerns about the reliability of the Alpine heading into the weekend’s main event, as mechanical issues like this can significantly impact a team's performance on both qualifying and race day.

For now, the focus shifts to Alpines garage as they work to get Ocon’s car ready for the upcoming qualifying sessions. Notably, Alpine had the worst weekend so far with not a single driver able to complete any session without interruptions.