At the Canadian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon, who will be leaving the Alpine Formula 1 team, scored points. This race came after his incident in Monaco, where he flew over his teammate Pierre Gasly on the first lap. However, the double points scored by Gasly and Ocon in ninth and tenth place in Montreal were marred by a disagreement over team orders.
During the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Ocon was ahead of Gasly and was running in eighth place with five laps remaining. Yuki Tsunoda, who was behind Ocon, spun backwards, allowing his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo to overtake Ocon. Ocon was then instructed to let Gasly, who will remain in the team next year, pass him to attack Ricciardo.
Ocon initially refused to comply with the team’s request, but eventually gave in, on the condition that the team would rectify the situation later. With two laps remaining, Ocon allowed Gasly to pass him. Gasly, however, failed to catch Ricciardo and finished in ninth place, while Ocon finished in tenth place.
After the race, Ocon expressed his disappointment with the team’s decision, stating that the order should have been reversed. He followed the team’s instructions but felt that the call didn’t make sense. Despite the frustration, Ocon remained optimistic for the rest of the season and believed there is still much to achieve with the team.
Alpine later justified their decision by stating that Ocon had an energy management issue, which affected his performance. They also had confidence in Gasly’s ability to attack Ricciardo with the help of the DRS (Drag Reduction System).
Ocon has not yet announced his destination for the 2025 season, but Williams or Sauber/Audi are considered the most likely options. He stated that he will announce his decision when the time is right.
