After seemingly questioning Esteban Ocon's professionalism, Alpine boss now invites the driver for a farewell tour
After seeming to question Esteban Ocon's professionalism, the Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has rolled out the red carpet to give the French driver a farewell with the team. In one of the strangest departures from an F1 team, Ocon was dropped by the French brand just one race before the end of the season.
Ocon had been a part of the team since 2020 and had seen multiple leadership changes at the top of the ladder and endured through that. The driver had already signed a contract to drive for Haas in 2025, and the race in Abu Dhabi was anyway going to be his last. The driver had been an integral part of the team, coming close to winning the race in Brazil a couple of races before Adu Dhabi, finishing second behind Max Verstappen.
However, there was some tension within the team as Esteban Ocon had complained about something not being right with his car quite a few times in the second half of the season. His sudden departure left a bad taste in the mouths of the fans, as Alpine faced a lot of backlash for its actions from the F1 fandom.
Following this, team principal Oliver Oakes questioned the driver's accomplishments at the team and seemingly claimed that since he was going to a rival squad, there were doubts over his loyalty. The comments poured further fuel on the fire considering that while teams bid a respectful farewell to their respective drivers, Ocon was never given such a farewell by Alpine.
The Alpine team principal has now backtracked on some of his comments, offering an olive branch to the driver. Oakes said that Ocon could have the farewell if he wants by coming to Enstone. He said,
"Esteban can have a guard of honour if he wants. He's got to come by, I'm actually serious. "Look, people say that [he was harshly treated], but I think it's not really right. At the end of the day, he had an option. He chose to start with his new team earlier. That's fine, I'm cool with that. We've been texting, and I've been honest, he's welcome to come to Enstone, if you'd like, like everything was planned."
He added,
"I've also been really honest that he's been a big part of the team, not just previous years, but even in my short stint. I have a lot of admiration for him, but I think also we have to do what's right for us and getting Jack in the car earlier, it's a big advantage when we look to next year. The teams we're fighting have all got rookies who've had a bit of experience under their belt and for me, it may seem a little bit harsh, but really, that isn't the reason at all."
What Alpine boss previously said about Esteban Ocon
The Alpine boss Oliver Oakes said in an interview leading up to the F1 Abu Dhabi GP that Esteban Ocon's performances had not been that good anyway. Oakes, the latest in the line of many team principals that have been at the helm of the team, also hinted that since the driver was moving to Haas, removing him would remove any kind of reasonable doubt on whether he was leaning towards the rival squad already. Oakes said,
"Recently his contribution to the team was limited, he scored few points and was often eliminated in Q1. We must not forget that he will drive for the team with which we are fighting for sixth place in the constructors' championship so it's just as well that there is not a shadow of a doubt."
Esteban Ocon was replaced by young driver Jack Doohan at Alpine. The Australian drove his first race weekend as an F1 driver in Abu Dhabi, finishing outside the points on his debut.