The French driver has been with Alpine for five seasons, the first as a Renault driver before the team rebranded.

Esteban Ocon will leave Alpine after his contract concludes at the end of the 2024 season.

The news comes not long after a collision during the Monaco Grand Prix between Ocon and his teammate Pierre Gasly which caused him to retire the car after the first lap of the race. The incident is said to have angered team principal Bruno Famin and after the race, Famin suggested that there would be “consequences” for the collision during an interview with a French broadcaster.

Former childhood friends Ocon and Gasly's relationship at Alpine has been marred by tension, and Ocon had similar issues with previous teammate Fernando Alonso during the Spaniard’s spell at Alpine between 2021-22.

Ocon’s five-year stay with comes to an end and the big highlight saw the French driver record his and the team’s first Grand Prix victory in Hungary in 2021. The 27 year old also recorded two podiums, finishing second at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and third at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.

His best finish in the Drivers’ Championship was in 2022 where he came eight, while the team also achieved its highest placing that year, coming fourth in the Constructors’ Championship

Alpine say its 2025 driver line-up will be “announced in due course”, and rumours today suggest that RB’s Yuki Tsunoda would be of interest to the Chipping Norton based team.

Esteban Ocon: “It’s been a significant period of my life to be racing at this team in Formula 1. While I’ve been here for five years as a full-time racing driver, my professional career started at Enstone back when I was a teenager, so it will always be a special place for me. We have had some great moments together, some tough moments as well, and I am certainly grateful to everyone at the team for these memorable times. I will announce my plans very soon but, in the meantime, my full focus is on delivering on track for this team and having a successful remainder of the season.”

Bruno Famin, Team Principal: “We would like to firstly thank Esteban for his commitment to the team for the past five years. During his time, we have celebrated some fantastic moments together, the best of which coming at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with a memorable race win. We still have 16 races to complete in 2024 together with a clear objective: to continue to work tirelessly as a team to push for the best on-track results. We wish Esteban the very best for the next chapter of his driving career when that moment comes.”

The Formula 1 season continues with the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday 9th June.

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Alpine F1