Esteban Ocon to part with Alpine at the end of the season
Esteban Ocon and Alpine have announced they will part at the end of the season. The news comes two weeks after his latest collision with teammate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Frenchman was deemed to be at fault for the collision on the opening lap as he tried to pass his French compatriot Gasly, despite being told by his team before the race to hold station. Ocon has confirmed he will race in the next Grand Prix in Canada, where he will face a five-place grid penalty for the incident.
Alpine boss Bruno Famin said there would be “consequences” as a result of the incident. Ocon and Gasly have collided serval times over the past two and a half years, while they have been teammates.
Ocon said, “Much has been said in the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix. While I have received many messages of support, I have been deeply saddened by the amount of abuse and negativity that I have received online regarding my character, my driving, and my career.”
“We are not robots; we are athletes pushing ourselves to the limit every day to achieve our dreams of winning races. F1 is a sport where emotions run high, and passions run deep. I see and feel this every weekend at the track and on social media… the good and the bad.”
He said in more than a hundred and forty Grands Prix, “I’ve had my share of incidents” and admitted to making “honest mistakes”.
Ocon did condemn the media for ‘misinformed statements and gross distortions,’ about his ability to work with the team as ‘inaccurate, hurtful, and damaging.’ He was always tipped to leave the team at the end of the season.
Alpine has had a difficult start to the season which has seen a shake up in management with Ocon the latest departure from the team. Also, he was tipped to leave the team at the end of the season when his contract ends.
Ocon will continue to drive for the team for the remainder of this season, including this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. However, they have made up ground in recent races and scored a point in Miami and Monaco.
Famin added “We would like to firstly thank Esteban for his commitment to the team for the past five years. During his time, we have celebrated some fantastic moments together, the best of which coming at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with a memorable race win.”
“We still have sixteen races to complete in 2024 together with a clear objective: to continue to work tirelessly as a team to push for the best on-track results. We wish Esteban the very best for the next chapter of his driving career when that moment comes.”
The decision by Alpine will bring more turbulence and more change for the French team, a decade ago when it returned as Renault in 2015 it had hoped to be fighting for titles. Despite early on making progress recent years have seen the team go backwards, and the incidents between Gasly and Ocon have cost the team points.
Gasly is likely to sign a new deal with the team before the end of the season when his contract ends. Focus now turns to who will replace him, rumours include Mick Schumacher who races for the team in WEC and Mercedes test driver, and Jack Doohan who is one of the team’s reserve drivers.
Ocon’s future is unknown but he has been linked to Haas who are likely to promote Ollie Bearman following his debut in Jeddah. Also has been seen as a second choice for Sauber, which becomes Audi in 2026, but Carlos Sainz is currently evaluating whether to commit his long-term future to Audi or accept a drive that Williams has offered him to be team-mate to Alex Albon from next year.