Esteban Ocon and Alpine, it’s a divorce: the Frenchman will leave at the end of 2024

by VALERIO BARRETTA

The divorce between Ocon and Alpine is official

Esteban Or with he will not be an Alpine driver in the 2025 season. The French driver will separate from the transalpine team after five years of stay embellished with three podiums and above all by the victory at the Hungaroring in 2021, the only success of Ocon and Alpine so far (since took on this name).

Ocon’s words

“It was an important period of my life racing in this Formula 1 team. Even though I have been here for five years as a full-time driver, my professional career began in Enstone when I was a teenager, so it will always be a special place for me. We have experienced beautiful moments together, but also difficult moments, and I am certainly grateful to all members of the team for these memorable moments. I will announce my plans very soon but, in the meantime, my focus is entirely on the results on track for this team and success in the rest of the season”, this is Ocon’s comment.

Famin’s words

“We would like to first thank Esteban for his commitment to the team over the last five years“, added team principal Bruno Famin. “In this period, we had some amazing moments together, the best of which was the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with a memorable race victory. We still have 16 races to complete in 2024, with a clear objective: to continue working tirelessly as a team to achieve the best results on the track. We wish Esteban all the best in the next chapter of his racing career, when that time comes”.

The disagreements

For months it was clear that Ocon would pack his bags. The #31 spoke with several teams and was mainly compared to Haas and Sauber (while his dream would naturally be to drive Mercedes alongside George Russell), and the lack of competitiveness of Alpine certainly didn’t help. The Monte-Carlo accident with Pierre Gasly, for which he even risked being punished with exclusion from the Canadian GP, ​​most likely occurred after decisions had already been made, by the driver or the team.