Esteban Ocon-Alpine divorce official as team releases statement
On Monday, December 2, Alpine announced that Jack Doohan will replace Esteban Ocon in the upcoming season-ending 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This means the Australian will race alongside Pierre Gasly and receive a significant head-start before his full-time racing role starts next season.
Alpine signed Doohan, its academy driver, after Ocon decided to part ways with the team. Earlier this year, he signed a multi-year deal with the American team Haas and will race alongside Ferrari prodigy, Oliver Bearman in 2025.
Rumors floated throughout the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix that Alpine would bring in Doohan for the final race and part ways with Ocon earlier than expected. With its confirmation, the dust has settled:
"BWT Formula 1 team announces that reserve driver Jack Doohan will race in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in place of Esteban Ocon. The change allows Esteban to be released to Haas to drive in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi."
Besides issuing an official statement, Alpine shared a farewell post for the Frenchman:
"Thank you, Esteban. We've shared some special memories together and wish you all the best for your next chapter."
As Ocon won't drive in the season-ending race, he can move to Haas for the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. He arrived at Alpine (formerly Renault) in 2020 and delivered the rebranded team its only victory this decade in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon shares his thoughts after an underwhelming year with Alpine
Following the conclusion of the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon touched upon the underwhelming final year he had with Alpine. His comments have come after he failed to end his partnership on a high, as he suffered a DNF in the Lusail International Circuit race:
"I would like to thank the team for their hard work over this race and their hard work over the whole year. When it's not going so well, the engineers and the mechanic have stuck together, and that's the most important thing. It's important to look ahead and see what we can prepare for the future."
Ocon is P14 in the Drivers' Championship with 23 points, three less than his teammate Pierre Gasly, who is P12 with 26. Alpine is P7 in the Constructors' Championship with 49 points, and competing against Haas and RB for P6.