BREAKING; Esteban Ocon French motorsports racing driver terminate his contract with Alpine and announce departure after facing…
Estaban Ocon and Alpine Agree to Part Ways
Time to Move On…
I’m still in my mind a Mercedes junior. – Esteban Ocon
Looks like there’s a breakup brewing. Esteban Ocon and Alpine just announced to F1 news they’re going their separate ways after this season. Ocon joined the team in 2020 with big dreams, but things haven’t always been smooth sailing.
A Journey of Highs and Lows
Esteban Ocon’s ride with Alpine hasn’t exactly been a fairytale. Sure, he hit some amazing highs, like scoring his very first F1 race win at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021 and racking up three podium finishes!
But lately, the team just hasn’t been on top of their game. This year’s been a real rollercoaster—technical problems kept cropping up, and things got tense between the teammates. So, it seems they’ve decided to go their separate ways.
Things haven’t exactly been sunshine and rainbows between Ocon and Gasly, and that Monaco GP crash was likely the cherry on top. While the crash itself might not have been the sole reason to part ways, it definitely showed there were some underlying issues within the team.
Alpine’s boss, Bruno Famin, even mentioned there’d be consequences after the crash, hinting that a fresh start might be best for everyone.
With Ocon leaving Alpine, F1 rumors are going wild about where he’ll land next. There’s a lot of buzz about him potentially joining Mercedes. Ocon himself has hinted at a connection with Mercedes, saying “I’m still in my mind a Mercedes junior. The management side, that hasn’t changed since 2015.”
While Ocon is throwing his hat in Mercedes’ ring, it seems they have other plans. Apparently, their top pick is Max Verstappen, the super-fast Red Bull driver. If they can’t snag him, they might give the seat to their young prodigy, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. This 17-year-old whiz kid is already in training for F1 so Ocon might be looking at option number three.
Ocon doesn’t want to be left hanging again like he was back in 2018. He’s looking to lock down his next F1 ride ASAP, whether it’s a short-term deal or a longer commitment. Stability is key for him so he’s hustling behind the scenes to find the right fit. Haas and Williams are rumored to be in talks with Ocon. Meanwhile, the Frenchman said, “I will announce my plans very soon but, in the meantime, my full focus is on delivering on track for this team and having a successful remainder of the season.”
Alpine Options
Alpine, on the other hand, is looking for a suitable replacement. Valtteri Bottas has emerged as a potential candidate, though he has expressed a preference for long-term contracts over short-term deals. Bottas stated, “I’m not interested in a one-year contract just to be in the sport. I want to have something stable with goals that we can pursue together.”
Bottas added that he knows he must work on negotiations for his future but that he does not want this to distract him from the current F1 schedule. “We’re aware of the situation and that’s what we’re doing now.
“I would like to be involved [in negotiations], but not in such a way that it distracts my race weekend. It’s about finding the right balance. But of course I want to be involved because it’s about my future, the years ahead of me.”
