Esteban Ocon set for shock exit as Alpine driver set to be replaced by Jack Doohan at Alpine for the F1 Abu Dhabi GP: Reports
Alpine is reportedly planning to put Jack Doohan in its second car for the upcoming 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This means the team would bid Esteban Ocon an early farewell, prior to the Frenchman's move to Haas next season.
Earlier this year, Ocon signed a multi-year deal with Haas, as he is all set to leave the Enstone-based team at the end of 2024 and join Ferrari prodigy Oliver Bearman. Following this, the French team decided to bring in its Academy driver, Doohan, to race alongside its retained driver, Pierre Gasly.
However, recent reports have claimed that Alpine will put Doohan in Ocon's seat in the season-ending race in the UAE. However, there has been no official confirmation of this yet. Doohan receiving the opportunity to race in Abu Dhabi would mean he gets a headstart ahead of his full-time debut next season.
Rumors began to surface during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday. Gasly finished the race in P5 and helped Alpine cover up the gap in the constructors' championship. Ocon suffered a DNF in the race after crashing out in the opening lap.
Pierre Gasly is P12 in the drivers' championship with 26 points, three more than his teammate, Esteban Ocon, who is P14. The Alpine duo's highlight of the season was their double podiums in the 2024 Sao Paulo Grand Prix at Interlagos.
Esteban Ocon shared his thoughts with Alpine farewell closing in
Esteban Ocon recently touched upon his time with Alpine. The French driver arrived at the Enstone-based team in 2020 and stayed with the team for five seasons. As he is all set to depart after the Abu Dhabi GP, here's what he said.
"I would like to thank the team for their hard work over this race and their hard work over the whole year," said Ocon.
"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."
Alpine is currently P7 in the constructors' championship with 49 points. The team is chasing Haas and also contesting with RB for P6 in the championship.