Hamilton's decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025 as a bolt from the blue, as well as the extension of the agreements for Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris with the Cavallino team and McLaren respectively, have started what could be an intense season in terms of market movements.
In fact, more than half the grid expires at the end of 2024, so behind the scenes the teams are already working to understand how to plan for the future. Mercedes will be hunting for a replacement for Hamilton, while Williams hopes to lock down Alex Albon for another year as his current deal expires at the end of the 2025 season.
Among the possible candidates for the Star seat is Esteban Ocon, who on the sidelines of the presentation did not hide the fact that he is still on good terms with the team directed by Toto Wolff, having long been a driver managed by the German company, of which he was also an academy pilot. Despite his move to Renault in 2020, the Frenchman actually explained that he is still managed by Mercedes, so it is no surprise that his name ended up on the list of possible replacements.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Photo by: Alpine
Ocon had signed a renewal with Alpine in 2021, signing an agreement valid for a further three seasons, i.e. until the end of 2024. In the same way, however, teammate Pierre Gasly is also out of contract at the end of this season after moving from AlphaTauri in 2023.
Precisely for this reason, the French team has already started to move on the market to understand the possible scenarios and how the drivers' market will shape up. A few weeks ago Valtteri Bottas revealed that, from what he had learned, Sauber and Audi would make a decision on the driver pairing for 2025 in the first part of the championship, in order to move in advance and ensure a good line-up on which to build the future in view of the regulatory revolution of 2026.
On the sidelines of the presentation of the A524, the Alpine Team Principal explained that he had started discussing with the drivers a few weeks ago and that the sudden announcement of Hamilton's move to Ferrari did not speed things up.
Bruno Famin, Alpine Endurance Team
Photo by: Alpine
“We didn't wait for Hamilton to go to Ferrari to talk to our drivers. We are talking continuously with our drivers. I am very happy with the relationship we have with them, the communication we have with them and the work they are doing. And we talk regularly with them, we spoke before [dell’annuncio] of Hamilton and after”.
At the moment the renewal of the drivers does not represent an absolute priority, given the intense period that awaits Famin, which in the coming weeks will be busy not only on the Formula 1 side, with the tests and the first two seasonal events, but also with the debut of the A424 LMDh in endurance championship as vice-president of the motorsport section. However, it is clear that this is an issue that must be managed carefully, so as not to arrive unprepared as was the case with the Piastri case in 2022.
“To be honest, we all look at the driver market. We also have our own academy, and it is our duty to see what is happening, to know what is happening. We are working on it, but there is no decision yet. Our priority is much more focused on the development of the car and the team, and we are confident in our drivers.”
Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Photo by: Alpine
When asked if it was important for the team to end any uncertainty by signing its current drivers, the Team Principal suggested there is no urgency. “They know what we think, they also know how F1 works. There is no duplicity. And this is why it is important to talk regularly between us, to put everything on the table. Even in this case, I think we are satisfied. We are waiting for the first race and to see the car's performance, but I understand that they are happy with the team. We'll talk about it later”, said Famin.
Gasly also confirmed that the team has started talking to him about the future, but there will be time to reach an agreement that satisfies everyone. “Obviously, I started working with Alpine last year, I know the project I'm working on. My contract expires at the end of the year and obviously there are conversations going on and that's it.”
“I think the situation is quite clear, but at the moment I just want to see what this car is capable of, and ultimately my goal is to fight at the front. And I think that's possible with Alpine. I'm 28 years old, I have good experience , I'm in my prime and I'm working for this. I want to fight for victories, for podiums and stay up there. They [Alpine] talks have already started. So it's obviously an ongoing process, and we're having conversations.”
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