Alpine is considering leaving Esteban Ocon out after his collision with teammate Pierre Gasly during the Monaco Grand Prix. The incident occurred on the first lap, when Ocon tried to overtake Gasly on the inside at Portier, resulting in contact between the two drivers. Ocon’s car was damaged beyond repair, while Gasly suffered a puncture. Fortunately for Alpine, a separate collision involving Haas cars and Sergio Perez caused a red flag, preventing Gasly from losing positions. Despite this, the incident left Alpine team boss Bruno Famin disappointed, stating that there will be consequences for Ocon’s actions. Famin’s comments have led some to believe that Ocon may be sidelined as a result of his involvement in the collision.
However, Famin expressed in Alpine’s press release that a more measured response would be provided, stating that the issue would be addressed “privately.”
“As a team, we will evaluate and deal with the incident between the two cars privately,” Famin stated.
“We must avoid situations that could harm the team.
“Today’s result was largely influenced by yesterday’s practice, and as a team, we ended up with just one point.
“It’s a conflicting feeling. Maybe we didn’t maximize yesterday’s practice, but the progress we made from Friday to Sunday is undeniably positive.”
However, Autosport reported that Famin is extremely upset about the collision that jeopardized Alpine’s chances of scoring points and is considering what actions to take.
Ocon admitted his responsibility and received a 10-second time penalty, which was later converted into a five-place grid penalty for the next race due to his retirement.
The extreme measures by Famin could potentially result in Ocon not even being allowed to participate in the next race in Canada, as Famin seeks to control the growing tensions.
Earlier this month in Miami, Alpine almost collided between its two cars on the first lap, as both drivers fought for position on the track and Gasly pushed Ocon towards the wall.
However, Gasly revealed a crucial difference that explains Famin’s outrage, distinguishing it from the previous incident.
Gasly, who also argued that Ocon should adopt a less aggressive racing approach, revealed that there was an agreement before the race to protect the leading driver.
Gasly had outperformed his teammate in qualifying and therefore earned the privilege of being protected. However, Ocon’s controversial move went against the agreed plan.
“To be honest, the strategy was clear from the start. The driver who qualified ahead would receive priority in strategic decisions, while the one behind would play a supporting role,” he explained.
“Of course, there was no room for taking risks on a track like this. We aimed to capitalize on the advantage of having both cars in such a favorable position.
“We are aware of what happened, and what matters most to me is ensuring that this does not happen again in the future.
“We have come close to this situation a few times, and we have discussed it extensively. We just need to be clear about our expectations.”
With few overtaking opportunities on the narrow and winding streets of Monaco, Alpine hoped to capitalize on its strong qualifying performance.
The British-French team had a challenging start to the season with an uncompetitive package, only scoring one point before the last weekend.
However, after making improvements to address performance issues, Alpine emerged as a competitive force in Monaco, with both cars in a strong position.
Carlos Sainz’s puncture after contact with Oscar Piastri at turn 1 elevated both Alpine cars to ninth and tenth places, making Ocon’s decision to disobey team orders even more concerning.
Ocon’s lack of respect for a clear team order is undoubtedly the cause of Famin’s anger, as the French driver prioritized his personal interests over the team.
However, it is unlikely that Ocon will be forced to miss a race. He has been the best performing driver for Alpine this season, and his potential replacement has not raced since November.
However, Famin may see this as an opportunity to test reserve driver Jack Doohan in a race weekend to assess his suitability for a full-time seat.
Famin was seen talking to Doohan after the race, but the most likely outcome is that Alpine will establish new race guidelines or prevent the pair from racing together.
Force India took similar measures when Ocon had multiple clashes with then-teammate Sergio Perez, and this proved to be a temporary solution that resolved the issue.
Ocon may not be the cleanest driver on the F1 grid, but his reputation for colliding with teammates was exaggerated, as it takes two to cause such incidents.
Gasly was at fault when Alpine lost significant points in Australia last season and almost jeopardized a good result in Miami earlier this month.
The maneuver attempted by Ocon was ambitious, careless, and reckless, but it was not a dangerous act that warranted severe consequences.
A revised formation in 2025 may be the ideal solution to Alpine’s growing problem, but making changes before that would only create more complications.
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