Ocon warms up with Alpine at Paul Ricard

Esteban Ocon had a chance on Monday to warm up and stretch his legs ahead of the 2021 season with a run at Paul Ricard onboard a 2018-spec Renault R.S.18.

The Frenchman is on the eve of his second season with the rebranded French outfit which will also field F1 returnee Fernando Alonso.

Ocon took over on Monday from Alpine junior Christian Lundgaard who had clocked up 100 laps the day before with the R.S.18.

"It felt great, I had a really good day," said Ocon, sporting his Alpine team's new colors. "It's the best way of getting back into the rhythm.

"So we feel very prepared, very ready for Bahrain. It's also felt really good to be back to the Paul Ricard and I can't wait to race in the French Grand Prix again."