Alpine has the potential to terminate Ocon’s contract if they can demonstrate that he is not acting in their favor or come to a mutually acceptable agreement.
With a significant part of the Formula 1 season still to come, four drivers have already confirmed their plans to switch teams in 2025. Leading this group is Lewis Hamilton, who will make the move from Mercedes to Ferrari.
Carlos Sainz has known since winter that he would be replaced by Hamilton’s move.
After an extensive search, he has now decided to join Williams instead of reuniting with his former Renault teammate Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber/Audi.
Hulkenberg’s departure from Haas was announced in April.
Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu have started exploring new opportunities after being informally informed by Sauber that they are not part of the team’s future plans.
Alpine recently announced a mutual decision to part ways with Esteban Ocon at the end of the season.
This decision came after a collision between Ocon and his teammate Pierre Gasly at the start of the Monaco Grand Prix, which angered team boss Bruno Famin.
BBC F1 commentator Marc Priestley expressed concerns about the situation at Alpine on his YouTube channel. Despite the team’s good performance in Canada, the controversy overshadowed their success.
Ocon, facing an engine issue, was instructed to let Gasly pass him in the final laps.
He only agreed after ensuring that Gasly would give back the position if he couldn’t overtake Daniel Ricciardo.
Alpine then decided that the cars would maintain their positions until the end of the race, which frustrated Ocon, as reported by the Los Angeles Oracle.
Priestley believes that the relationship between Ocon and Alpine is rapidly deteriorating.
He commented: “Although the Alpine team has achieved a good result with both drivers scoring points, there is a significant problem in terms of harmony between driver and team within the organization.”
He added: “Considering that Ocon has already lost his seat, so to speak, by ‘mutual consent’ – which rarely happens – I suspect that their relationship is deteriorating rapidly.”
The tense atmosphere at Alpine suggests that Ocon may leave the team during the middle of the season.
Martin Brundle speculates that he could join Haas, eliminating the need to showcase his skills.
Some speculate that Alpine may part ways with Ocon during the summer break, although this is still uncertain.
Alpine has the option to dismiss Ocon if they can prove that he is not acting in their best interest or reach a mutually acceptable agreement.
This would allow reserve driver Jack Doohan to take on a full campaign in 2025.
Doohan was scheduled to participate in FP1 in Canada, but failed to complete a timed lap due to challenging conditions.
Meanwhile, Alpine is seeking to secure Pierre Gasly with a long-term contract to ward off interest from Audi.
