Ocon gets penalty-free power unit change after fire

Alpine has been forced to replace Esteban Ocon's power unit for Sunday's Brazilian Grand Prix but there will be no penalty for the Frenchman as the new unit was already part of his pool of hardware.

Ocon endured an eventful Sprint event on Saturday at Interlagos marked by a double clash with teammate Fernando Alonso that ruined his race.

But as he returned to the pits after the 24-lap race, a fuel leak set his Alpine ablaze.

• Read also: Alpine reacts to online 'abuse' towards drivers after Sprint clash

While the fire was quickly extinguished by the marshals, it had significantly damaged the A522's engine and several of its components.

"As a result of the fuel leak on Esteban’s car after Saturday’s sprint qualifying [race] and the subsequent damage caused by the fire, the team has changed his PU for today’s race from his pool," said Alpine in a statement.

"This means he will not take a grid penalty and will start today’s race from 17th place. The damaged parts on the chassis have also been replaced."

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