Esteban Ocon’s cryptic comments after his lap one exit from the 2024 Qatar GP cast doubt on whether the Frenchman will race for Alpine in the season finale in Abu Dhabi, as Jack Doohan looks set to get his F1 Grand Prix debut a race earlier than expected in place of the leaving Ocon.
He painted a figure of an end-of-tenure gratitude for the years that went by after a disappoint race in Qatar that lasted just one corner. The Frenchman not run the latest new parts which team-mate Gasly had, he tumbled down the order in the Sprint, and qualify slowest of all in grand prix qualifying, the race didn’t prove much more fruitful, as he retired on the opening lap following contact with an out-of-control Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto.
“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’s relationship with the Alpine team, for which he has driven for since the start of 2020, significantly deteriorated in the last few races, despite a great double podium in Brazil – which was more circumstantial due to the rainy conditions – the Frenchman has consistently complained about a distinct lack of performance on his side of the garage since Alpine introduced a major upgrade package at the United States GP at the end of October.
But the situation has now got to such a point that it is very likely that Ocon will not see out the season with the team, and will instead vacate his seat for the final race of the season, which will be taken by the team’s 2025 driver Jack Doohan.
Speaking after his qualifying session in Qatar, Ocon reiterated something he had been hinting at for several weeks – that his and Gasly’s cars are somewhat distinct in terms of ultimate performance ever since the race in Austin, and is unable to pinpoint why that is the case – stating that he was losing up to a full second per lap compared to his team-mate:
“The lap was clean, I didn’t go off, I didn’t do a mistake. It’s one of the laps that we should have gone through quite easily, but as soon as we crossed the line there was no performance for us this weekend.
“In the sprint race I managed to gain a few positions at the start, but after that I was fighting with cars that were in a different category and I was getting dropped by a good amount of lap time, more than 7 tenths.
“That was the case in the sprint race, it was averaging closer to a second, I would say. And that’s what we lacked also in quali, unfortunately. We keep digging, but it doesn’t seem to go in the right direction for us.”
However difficult his Qatar weekend proved to be, it is a continuation of a trend that was also seen at the Las Vegas GP a week ago, when the Frenchman hinted at “one car” being quick and the other completely off the pace, with no obvious explanation:
“It’s been a difficult weekend and it’s been difficult weekends since Austin,” Ocon said after qualifying for the Las Vegas GP. “I think we are missing between half a second to 7 tenths since Austin.
“And we are trying to do our best with my side of the garage, trying to figure out what issues there are with the car. It’s difficult for us to carry the minimum speed and to get out of corners. I just have a lot of wheelspin, basically, in comparison to Pierre [Gasly].”
“I think, you know, one car, Pierre, was quick, you know, since Austin. Unfortunately, you know, we are not fast, you know, since Austin and that could cost us as well in the championship. So, yeah, we need to figure out what exactly is going on and hopefully improve the situation for the next two.”
That dejected figure was after missing out on progressing to Q2 in Vegas, but things would get even worse on Sunday, as a tactical blunder from Alpine after telling Ocon to “box opposite” to the car ahead meant the team wasn’t ready to service him as he rolled down the pit lane, and effectively served an unofficial drive through penalty, before ruing a severe lack of pace in general compared to team-mate Gasly, who had qualified third the day before:
“No, it’s clearly not that for sure,” he said after the race in Vegas, when asked if the car has developed in a way that deviates from his natural driving style.
“We will see. We are working with the team to try and improve the situation. But yeah, I mean, since Austin, it seems to not work at all on our side and we need to make sure that this is not the case anymore on the last two [races].”
The team has since raised the possibility of relieving Ocon from his obligations a race early. This idea was flirted with already back in May after the Monaco GP, as then-team principal Bruno Famin called Ocon out for an “unacceptable” collision that could have ended both of their races.
Update: On Monday morning CET, Alpine confirmed that Jack Doohan would get his opportunity at the Abu Dhabi GP.
