Esteban Ocon is about to face down from his Alpine Method 1 seat forward of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Jack Doohan anticipated to make his debut on the 2024 finale, Motorsport.com understands.
The French driver retired on the primary lap of the Qatar race after turning into embroiled in a conflict with Franco Colapinto and Nico Hulkenberg, and that is understood to be his remaining race for the Enstone outfit earlier than becoming a member of Haas for 2025.
It’s extensively believed that the important thing to shifting Ocon on early is linked to his launch to Haas for the Abu Dhabi check on the finish of the season; Alpine is known to have granted its blessing to the Normandy-born driver, on the proviso that he vacates his seat for Doohan for the season finale.
This can permit the crew to offer Doohan a full weekend of preparation in anticipation for subsequent 12 months, and Ocon will arrive in Abu Dhabi for that end-of-year check on the next Tuesday.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Crew, attends the drivers parade
Picture by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Photographs
Ocon joined the crew in 2020 whereas it was referred to as Renault, and secured his first and solely grand prix win for the Franco-British crew on the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
It’s understood that Alpine has thought-about it a “risk” that Ocon will likely be relieved of service for the Abu Dhabi race, because the crew had requested him to boost his efficiency relative to Gasly; a transparent gulf between the 2 in tempo had emerged in the course of the Las Vegas weekend, wherein Gasly clinched third on the grid.
Gasly asserted his present dominance in Qatar, and regardless of variations in entrance wing specification as Gasly had the brand new shorter nostril, there was no obvious distinction in specification between vehicles.
That is the conclusion to a season that has develop into more and more tempestuous between Ocon and Alpine, which in the end led to the 2 slicing ties for subsequent season.
His place was briefly touted as being underneath menace on the crew after a contentious conflict with team-mate Gasly in Monaco, the place he tried to power his well beyond at Portier and precipitated harm to each vehicles.
These fears have been assuaged in time for Canada however, in the meantime, it was introduced that Ocon can be departing Alpine for Haas in 2025.
Beneath the advisorial guise of Flavio Briatore, Alpine tried to mount a late bid to courtroom Carlos Sainz for 2025, however was in the end beated to the punch by Williams. The crew thus introduced that it might promote reserve driver Jack Doohan to the seat alongside Gasly.
Though Ocon led Alpine’s very important 2-3 end in a moist Brazil race, he had nonetheless been a number of factors shy of Gasly over the season – and in the end certified twentieth in Qatar.
Further reporting by Alex Kalinauckas and Jonathan Noble
Photographs from Qatar GP Race
On this article
Jake Boxall-Legge
Method 1
Esteban Ocon
Alpine
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