by VALERIO BARRETTA
Montreal, Ocon is “saved”
Esteban Or with he will eventually manage to take part in the Canadian Grand Prix. The position of the Frenchman, who will only miss FP1 to make room for reserve Jack Doohan, was however in strong doubt at least for Montreal. As we reported, team principal Bruno Famin he couldn’t stomach the #31’s maneuver against Pierre Gasly in Monte-Carlo, which could have cost the team precious points, and thought about benching Ocon in favor of Doohan himself for this weekend’s GP.
Why didn’t Famin keep score with Ocon? From what comes from France, they weighed a lot Alpine’s fears of ending up back in the hands of lawyers. After the experience of Oscar Piastri, with the FIA Contract Recognition Board which agreed with the driver and his entourage for the “escape” towards McLaren, in Enstone they wanted to avoid further legal disputes: this was confirmed The Team.
Alpine’s new legal team understood that suspending Ocon would be very risky, as the pilot could show up in Montreal with a bailiff acknowledging the deprivation of his right to work. Considering the character of the driver and the now compromised relationships with the team (confirmed by the divorce at the end of the season, but already intuitable for months) it would not have been a hypothesis to be ruled out.
The future of Ocon
Ten out of 20 drivers have their jobs secure for 2025. Ocon is not part of this group: the Frenchman is looking for a team and his dream would naturally be Mercedes, but the hopes for this to happen are low. Most likely the #31 will have to settle for a third-tier team: Haas, Williams and Sauber have made information and contacts. The most credible option seems to be Haas, where Kevin Magnussen’s position is at great risk.
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