What if Mercedes treated Lewis Hamilton the way Alpine has treated Esteban Ocon?
Lewis Hamilton is in his last race with Mercedes this weekend. The driver has been such an iconic signing for the team that the kind of success that this partnership has achieved has been unprecedented. He's won six world titles, more than 80 wins, and more than that, he's been the shining light of Mercedes' return to F1. Throughout his final race weekend with the team, the driver has had tributes pouring out from different corners.
Mercedes has created a special montage of videos shared across social media. Hamilton has a special livery with 150 fans whose names are written on his car. In all fairness, it's safe to say he is getting the farewell he deserves. He's been treated in a manner fitting of someone who has contributed the most to Mercedes' success.
While all of this is going on, Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has made a scathing attack on Esteban Ocon. The team boss, who only recently joined the squad, berated the driver for the kind of impact he had on the team and even questioned his loyalty and professionalism because he would be a Haas driver next season, a team that is in direct competition with the French outfit right now.
Ocon has been one of the few loyal Alpine servants since 2020. He's seen multiple regime changes at the top and drivers leaving the team. Among all this, looking at Renault's latest stint in F1, no driver comes close to what Ocon has done for the team. He's the only one to win a race for the team, something he achieved in 2021. If we look at the top three results for the Renault/Alpine outfit since its return, all belong to Ocon (P1 in Hungary 2021, P2 in Sakhir 2020, and Brazil 2024).
Alpine has shunned its most successful driver without giving him a basic farewell. What's worse is Oakes has berated Ocon's contribution and integrity in terms of allegiances. Despite this, there has been no backlash toward Alpine; this has not become big news. In all fairness, this news is already buried beneath the Max Verstappen-George Russell rivalry/friendship, whichever phase we are at right now.
However, it does raise a question about the state of Formula 1 in general: What if Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had treated Lewis Hamilton in a manner similar to the way Esteban Ocon has been treated by Alpine? Would something like that be just pulled under the rug? Would something like that not be a massive controversy in F1? Would that not be the first thing everyone wants to talk about? Does the media also play a role in selective coverage, fueling the fire where it helps and neglecting where it doesn't? Let's delve deeper into this.
What the Alpine boss said about Esteban Ocon
As quoted by Motorsport, Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes said that Esteban Ocon's contribution to the team had been minimal in the last few races and he had been eliminated in Q1 multiple times. He also felt that because Ocon was going to Haas in 2025, a team that's the rival of the French squad this year, he didn't want a "shadow of a doubt," hinting that the driver might be willingly underperforming for the benefit of Haas:
"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."
The incredible nature of the quote becomes clearer when we realize that just two races back, Ocon was battling Max Verstappen for the win in an Alpine in the F1 Brazilian GP. The Frenchman had arguably put together a drive of the season just two race weekends back, and if not for the 18 points he scored by finishing second, the French team would have no business fighting for P6 in the championship.
The parallels between Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon
First of all, let's get one thing straight. We're not saying that Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes is the same as Esteban Ocon leaving Alpine. That's not the claim we're making. What we are doing, however, is drawing one major parallel, how the German squad has treated the seven-time world champion and how the French squad has treated Ocon.
Lest we forget, in Renault/Alpine's recent F1 stint, no driver contributed more to the team. There's no driver who has achieved the kind of success that Ocon has. Of course, we cannot compare what Hamilton, a seven-time champion, has achieved in a Mercedes to Ocon, who is still in a midfield team like Alpine. Still, there's one major parallel, which is how teams treat their most successful drivers.
One could even argue that Haas has also made it a point to give Kevin Magnussen a fitting farewell after a relationship that has lasted a long time.
The outrage if this had happened to Lewis Hamilton
Now comes the more important point. What if something like this happened to Lewis Hamilton? What if Toto Wolff saw his performance this season and thought that maybe putting Kimi Antonelli in the car is a better call? To make matters worse, Wolff claims that Hamilton was not making a meaningful contribution this season. Since he's going to a rival team next season, it made sense to call time on everything before the end of the season.
Would we have outrage from the fans? Yes, we would. We would even have outrage from people in the F1 fraternity, and the news making it to the top of the headlines. While the outrage would be thoroughly deserved, one has to question why there is no outrage now. Why is it a sad reality that a team principal can afford to launch a scathing attack against an Esteban Ocon, question his professionalism, and belittle his success with the team, but the same cannot be done to a Lewis Hamilton? Or a Max Verstappen? Or a Fernando Alonso? Or a Charles Leclerc? Or even a Lando Norris?
Irrespective of who it happens to, an unfair act should be called out, right? The sad reality is that the outrage and the coverage of anything wrong depend almost entirely on the profile and popularity of a driver. Ocon is not one of the most famous drivers on the F1 grid, and he's yet to have the accolades of the big stars. Unfortunately, that's what it all comes down to, and maybe as media, we need to try and find a more equitable approach to coverage so that in the glitz and glamour of a Hamilton, the Ocons of the grid also get their fair shake.