According to Sky F1 correspondent Craig Slater, Alpine team boss Bruno Famin is “seriously considering” leaving Esteban Ocon out for the Canadian Grand Prix after the incident in Monaco.
Ocon attempted to overtake his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly at Portier on the opening lap of the race, but the two collided, causing the rear of Ocon’s Alpine to lift off the ground, causing race-ending damage.
Esteban Ocon may miss Canadian Grand Prix
This did not sit well with team principal Famine, who immediately threatened “punishment” for Ocon via French broadcaster Canal Plus, sparking speculation that Ocon could be benched for the next Canadian Grand Prix, with a five-place grid penalty.
Slater confirmed that this was not just a rumour floating around in a moment of excitement, but a genuine threat facing Ocon.
“Bruno Famine was actually on the pit wall with Canal Plus and called him immediately after the crash on the first lap. Famine spoke angrily and said he had a tough decision to make, which everyone interpreted as meaning that Esteban Ocon would be benched for the next race in Canada,” Slater began.
“All I can say is that Alpine manager Bruno Famin is still seriously considering it. He will do what is best for the team. But if the decision is made to miss Esteban Ocon for a week to show what the team discipline should be, he is ready to do that, but that decision has not been taken yet.”
“In the aftermath of yesterday’s Grand Prix, Ocon and Famine met in person. Ocon has personally apologised in person and has subsequently apologised publicly via social media. We’ll see what happens.”
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Gasly finished in 10th place and earned two points for Alpine. It has been a disappointing end to the season for the team so far, but their struggles have led to rumors that both Gasly and Ocon may leave the team in F1 2025.
Gasly’s likely destination is Williams, while Ocon has been linked with teams such as Haas and Sauber and could move to Audi in 2026.
And Slater believes the Monaco incident and its likely impact on Ocon are adding fuel to those departure rumours.
“I think this will call into question whether Ocon will remain with the team beyond next year,” Slater continued.
“We all remember the fact that he was a childhood rival of another Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly, and can these two ever happily co-exist in the same team? Well, this is another example of them not happily co-existing.”
“And the other thing is that, to most observers, Ocon’s attempt to overtake was an unnecessarily optimistic one.
“The accident could have cost the team points in the Grand Prix, it could have taken both drivers out of the race and, with the current situation struggling to score points outside the top five, it could have put the team back at the bottom of the constructors’ standings.”
“In the end, Gasly managed to score one point and keep his tally of two points for the season, but it shows how costly this crash can be.
“So we’ll see. I think it’s a big decision to leave out a player like Esteban Ocon. It really doesn’t happen very often. You don’t see it happening.”
“And remember, it doesn’t mean he won’t be able to race, he has a five-place grid penalty in Canada and of course the same penalty for whoever sits in that seat.
“But as far as I understand today, it is still a possible outcome. Bruno Famin is considering whether to take Ocon off for the next Grand Prix. That’s in two weeks. Let’s see if he takes that very big decision.”
Ocon and Gasly have each contributed one point to Alpine so far in F1 2024.
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