Alpine bosses announce that Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have had their final clash.
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly had team orders “repeated” to them ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, but that wasn’t the tipping point in Ocon’s Alpine exit.
During the previous season at Alpine, pundits and fans were captivated as Ocon and Gasly, who had been rivals since childhood, joined forces.
Monaco was ‘only part of the argument not to renew’ Esteban Ocon’s contract
Although the 2023 Australian Grand Prix saw a race-ending crash, there were also some minor issues where the two drivers felt unfairly treated by Alpine’s team orders.
But at the start of a season in which Alpine have been struggling to score points, both Ocon and Gasly have at least publicly been playing the team game and talking about helping Alpine recover.
And then came Monaco.
F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto stated that the teammates were informed multiple times about the team’s instructions during the race in Monte Carlo, where Gasly started in 10th position and Ocon in 11th.
But the latter still launched an ill-timed and ill-judged move on his team-mate on the very first lap, the contract lifting Ocon’s A524 into the air with the car suffering race-ending damage.
One week later, Alpie made an announcement stating that Ocon’s tenure with the team would come to an end after this season.
On the contrary, it wasn’t a response specifically to Monaco; instead, it had been an ongoing discussion for “several months.”
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“On the face of it, the news of Ocon’s departure after five years with the Enstone team might look like a reaction to the Frenchman colliding with team-mate Pierre Gasly last time out in Monaco,” Barretto wrote for the official F1 website.
It is undeniable that Alpine boss Bruno Famin was extremely angry with Ocon following the collision.
Before qualifying in Monaco, Ocon and Pierre Gasly were informed that team orders would be implemented during the Grand Prix. It was made clear to them that the driver starting behind on the grid must support the driver ahead, as it was a necessary requirement.
I have been informed that the aforementioned message was reiterated before the race on Sunday. Consequently, it is understandable that Famin felt annoyed when Ocon disregarded that instruction and boldly attempted a maneuver on Gasly during the first lap at Portier, resulting in damage to both vehicles and leading to Ocon’s own withdrawal from the race.
Although the aforementioned event held significant importance, sources reveal that a broader conversation about Ocon’s future had been taking place for several months. The recent incident merely contributed to the overall argument against renewing his contract.
It was not the first instance where Ocon and Gasly found themselves uncomfortably close to each other, as they had previously engaged in a wheel-to-wheel battle for an entire lap in Miami. Additionally, Ocon has had collisions with his former teammates Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez on multiple occasions.
Alpine was aware that Ocon was exploring opportunities with other teams on the grid, such as Haas and Sauber/Audi, who showed great interest in signing him.
“And sometimes, change can be good.”
Ocon plans to reveal his future plans soon, but it has been indicated that his possibilities are restricted. Currently, Haas, Audi, and Williams are the only potential options for him.
It was only last Thursday when Barretto informed Ocon that his contract with Alpine would not be renewed.
According to him, it is believed that Ocon had a pre-arranged session in the simulator in Enstone on Thursday. Later, he had a meeting with Famin, during which sources claim he was informed that his services would not be needed after the season ends.
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