Tensions within the Alpine F1 team remain high following the Canadian Grand Prix. Despite the team’s overall positive performance, driver Esteban Ocon expressed his frustration after being ordered to let team-mate Pierre Gasly pass him in the final laps of the race.
The decision was made to allow Gasly to challenge Australian Daniel Ricciardo of Racing Bulls for eighth place but ultimately failed.
A controversial decision leads to Ocon rant
From 18th on the grid, Ocon was instructed to let the other Alpine car through towards the end of the race. The aim was to give Gasly a chance to fight for eighth place, but ultimately Gasly was unable to overtake Ricciardo. As a result, Ocon finished tenth, just behind Gasly, marking the first time this season that both Alpine cars have finished in the points.
Ocon was clearly unhappy with the team’s decision, ranting that “we should have finished ninth in the end,”
“I played my part, which was to respect the team’s instructions, as I’ve always done anyway. I did my job in this race, not the team’s.
“It’s sad that it ended like that at the end of the race. It’s not right. Unfortunately, we can see the trend [tendency] that will continue until the end of the year,” he lamented to Canal+.
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Previous incidents
This isn’t the first time that Ocon has been at odds with his team. At the last Monaco Grand Prix, Ocon was criticised for attempting to overtake Gasly on the opening lap, resulting in a collision. The incident resulted in Ocon retiring from the race, although Gasly managed to finish 10th and score a championship point.
Following the Monaco incident, Alpine team principal Bruno Famin vowed to take decisive action, stating that he would “cut to the chase” and “draw the consequences” from the incident.
As a result, Alpine announced that Ocon’s contract would not be renewed and that he would leave the team at the end of the season. Although Ocon’s departure seemed likely anyway, the announcement was hastened by the Monaco collision, for which Ocon was quick to apologise.
The internal dynamics of the Alpine team have now come under scrutiny, particularly following Esteban Ocon’s first-lap collision with team-mate Pierre Gasly.
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The Monaco incident
The dramatic collision in Monaco’s Portier corner saw Ocon’s car go airborne and led to his immediate retirement from the race. The stewards determined that the incident was caused by Ocon’s overly ambitious overtaking attempt, resulting in a 10-second penalty and a five-place grid drop for the following race in Canada.
The stewards’ report was unequivocal: “The collision was caused solely by an overly ambitious overtaking attempt from too far back”.
In the aftermath of the incident, Ocon issued a public apology via social media, acknowledging his mistake and admitting that the gap he was aiming for was too small. However, his apology did little to soften the blow.
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Team disappointment and fallout
Alpine boss Bruno Famin expressed his disappointment with the situation in a statement to Canal+ television:
“It’s sad, this kind of incident. It’s exactly what we didn’t want to see. And there will be consequences.”
Famin’s comments hinted at possible internal disciplinary action against Ocon, further complicating the driver’s position within the team.
Gasly, who managed to finish tenth and score a point despite the incident, underlined the seriousness of Ocon’s actions:
“There was a clear instruction from the team on what to do and it wasn’t respected.” Gasly’s comments highlighted a significant breach of team protocol and a missed opportunity for both cars to score points.
Certainly, for this Canadian Grand Prix, it appears that Ocon will now reluctantly follow team planning and orders.
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Famin’s response to Ocon rant in Canada
In response to Ocon’s recent comments, Famin sought to defuse the situation following the Canadian Grand Prix.
“The team managed the race excellently, at all levels, whether it was the strategy, the engineers or the mechanics. The drivers did a great job, both of them. It’s the team result that counts, and I’m sure the little adrenaline rushes will pass very quickly, I’m not worried about that,” he told Canal+.
Famin went on to justify the instructions given to Ocon, citing strategic considerations.
“Esteban was using a lot of his electrical energy and we saw that he was slowing everyone down a bit. We were at the mercy of Haas, who were coming from behind. The idea was to go for Ricciardo’s eighth place,” he said.
Gasly, meanwhile, downplayed the significance of Ocon’s reaction and chose to highlight the team’s performance.
“I was quicker than Esteban, so it was a case of trying to overtake Ricciardo. But it’s really not a big deal [Ocon’s reaction], the important thing is that both cars scored points because the team did a great job.”
As the season progresses, the internal dynamics within Alpine will be closely watched. Ocon’s impending departure, coupled with the team’s ongoing strategic decisions, is likely to continue to be a source of intrigue and speculation.
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