Just over a week. That is the time that has passed between Esteban Ocon’s collision with Pierre Gasly, Bruno Famin’s forceful statements, and the official announcement of his departure from Alpine. The timing of the announcement appears to have been a consequence of the incident, but it is likely that the breakup was agreed before anyone had even set foot in the Principality.
In fact, the idea of an exit for Ocon, a driver who has been at Renault since 2020 and who gave the transalpine brand its only victory in Formula 1 in this new era, in the 2021 Hungarian GP, It’s been in the air for several weeks. It must be said that, with a contract that ended in 2024 and a team that has started the season in the worst possible way, nothing was clear and, little by little, as Motorsport.com reported a fortnight ago, the option of an exit I was becoming more and more realistic.
Now it’s official. It remains to be seen which path Ocon will take. Here is a review of his more or less realistic options.
Is Haas an option for Esteban Ocon?
Right now, Haas is by far the most likely choice for Ocon. The American team will lose its leader, Nico Hulkenberg, that will be joining the Audi project, and Kevin Magnussen does not seem to have what it takes to spearhead the project. Under these conditions, and with the probable arrival of Oliver Bearman by 2025, Ocon seems to have all the assets to play this rolebased on his 141 races in the premier category.
The question remains as to what kind of teammate the Frenchman can be, given that his reputation has not improved after the Monte Carlo episode.. However, at Haas it is clear that this facet is important, as Magnussen has shown this year by sacrificing his racing to favor Hulkenberg. It could be the final hurdle in discussions between owner Gene Haas, director Ayao Komatsu and Ocon.
However, apart from this issue, the Frenchman seems to be the best option available on the market at the moment for Haas. The American team has held talks with other drivers, including Yuki Tsunoda, but the latter is likely to extend his contract with RB. after a very good start to the season.
Can Ocon go to Audi for F1 2025?
This is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Ocon has decided not to sign for Haas for the moment. Audi’s interest in him is nothing new. However, the German brand has another objective in its sights: Carlos Sainz. The Spaniard, pushed to leave Ferrari by the arrival of Lewis Hamilton, is his first choice, but he himself faces a dilemma, as he is negotiating with Williams.
Whatever your choice, It will be a bet for the future between two projects that are very far from the top of Formula 1, and that most likely will not play more than the points in 2025. before hoping to take advantage of the new 2026 regulations. Sainz does not want to close any doors in the near future, and would like to commit to Audi with a one-year contract. This would allow him to be available in case an interesting seat becomes available at the end of 2025.in the event that Max Verstappen really leaves Red Bull, or if Mercedes no longer has George Russell.
However, apart from the Madrid native, What happened in Monaco with Ocon was not exactly to the liking of Andreas Seidl, boss of Sauber, who has no shortage of possible candidates to occupy the second seat on his team. At this stage, It cannot even be ruled out that Valtteri Bottas continues. Waiting to see what happens at Audi therefore seems riskier for Ocon.
Is Williams an option for Ocon?
The chances of Ocon driving for Williams are very slim, especially since current Grove team boss James Vowles does not appear to be his biggest fan.. At the time when the Frenchman was a candidate for Mercedes’ second seat heading into 2020, the British coach was in charge, and the team management made the decision to retain Bottas despite any reservations that may exist with him. the finnish
However, given his profile, Ocon is likely to remain on the British team’s options list, although not among the first names on the list.
Can Ocon return to Mercedes F1?
Ocon himself has said that he has “close ties” with Mercedes, since He is a product of the German brand’s young talent program and his career continues to be partly managed by those in Brackley. In fact, this is almost the only reason to consider this optionsince the chances of Ocon driving one of the Silver Arrows are very slim.
What’s more, by 2025, the star’s brand already has a ‘junior’ in its sights in Andrea Kimi Antonelli, currently in Formula 2 and who has been rumored for several months that he could be in the future W16.
Will Esteban Ocon leave F1?
For now, it is very unlikely that Ocon will not get a seat and will be forced to leave the Great Circus. But, as the Frenchman knows from his bitter experience in 2018, the ‘silly season’ can quickly turn against him.
With this in mind, the importance of what happened in Monaco should not be underestimated at a time when discussions between the different actors in F1 are very advanced. Having harmed his team like this, at a time when every detail of this type is being scrutinized by possible teams that could hire him, could clearly work against him.
With Oleg Karpov, Jonathan Noble and Roberto Chinchero
