Jeremy Clarkson stayed true to his word with a bizarre visit to the Alpine F1 headquarters on Monday.
The 63-year-old Top Gear and The Grand Tour presenter is an avid fan of the sport, and revealed this year that he backs Alpine as they are his 'local' team. The 63-year-old lives in Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, near to where the British team is based.
And he got very excited during the Monaco Grand Prix as Esteban Ocon was challenging at the front of the grid. And during the race, Clarkson pledged on Twitter : "Come on @AlpineF1Team I’ll buy you all a pint if you get a podium here."
And sure enough, Ocon held his nerve to finish in third behind winner Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso. It meant a first top-three finish for the team since 2021, and team members were quick to remind Clarkson of his previous vow.
After he'd posted "Well done @AlpineF1Team I owe you many Hawkstones," engineer Brett Foster replied with "Looking forward to it!" Colleague Chris Shawe added: "Will be in the office Tuesday waiting for the delivery!"
There was no immediate delivery, but on Monday Clarkson did prove good on his word. And the official Alpine Twitter account uploaded incredible footage of the eccentric star rocking up on a tractor and handing out beers to all of the staff, with the caption reading: "Just your average Monday at Enstone."
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Upon his arrival, Clarkson saluted the crowd of people waiting for him and said: "Hello everybody. I did say I'd get you all a beer, so I've brought to all a beer." Also holding Ocon's third placed trophy, the driver then grabbed it and shouted: "And we're bringing something special too."
Alpine later tweeted another snap of Clarkson speaking with Ocon, writing: "Delivering on his word. Cheers for the beers, @JeremyClarkson." Another aerial shot showing everyone present, including Clarkson and his tractor, read: "What a day."
There wasn't quite the same levels of euphoria for the team at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona on the weekend, but it was still another encouraging display with both their drivers finishing in the points. Ocon was eighth, with teammate Pierre Gasly crossing the line in 10th.
