"This is just damage limitation PR": Former Renault man thrashes Alpine's 'open invitation' to Esteban Ocon at Enstone
Former Renault engineer Mark Lane claimed that the French team were doing "damage limitation PR" after they gave an "invitation" to Esteban Ocon to visit their base at Enstone. The French driver was let go by the Alpine F1 team at the end of the Qatar Grand Prix, where he retired on lap one after crashing into Williams F1 driver Franco Colapinto.
Esteban Ocon's unceremonious exit did not go amiss by the F1 fans as they criticized the French team for not giving the one-time race winner a proper farewell in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking with Autosport on Thursday, Alpine F1 team principal Oliver Oakes extended his invitation for Ocon to visit the factory in Enstone and said:
"Esteban can have a guard of honor if he wants," Oakes said. "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."
Mentioning that he continued to remain in touch with the 28-year-old, Oakes added:
"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.
Shortly after, Mark Lane, who worked at the French team from 2019 to 2022 as a Senior Surface Design Engineer, reacted to the invitation and wrote (via his X, formerly Twitter):
"This is just damage limitation PR. Any visit now would be very awkward although if I were still there I would love for him to drop by. Entirely understandable if he passes on the belated offer."
The 28-year-old had a five-year-long stint with the Enstone-based outfit where he achieved four podium positions with his most recent trip to the podium, coming in Brazil 2024 where he finished P2.
Esteban Ocon pens heartfelt note after his exit from Alpine
Former Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon said that he was grateful for the contributions of the engineers at Viry and Enstone and claimed that he left the team with "great memories".
Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, December 3, Esteban Ocon expressed gratitude to his team, writing:
“I would like to first and foremost thank the mechanics and engineers across all functions at the track, Enstone, and Viry-Chatillon who have raced alongside me these last five seasons," he wrote.
"We have shared so much together, and I am proud to call many of you my friends. I leave Alpine/Renault with great memories and the pride of having been the driver who brought the team’s best results since its return to the sport," Ocon added.
Esteban Ocon will race for the Haas F1 team at the beginning of the 2025 season alongside Oliver Bearman. As a part of his early exit from the Alpine F1 team, Ocon was allowed to take part in the postseason test in Abu Dhabi after the week race weekend to acclimatize himself with the American team early.