Esteban Ocon laughs off ‘punishment’ suggestion ahead of Jack Doohan’s Canadian GP run

At the conclusion of 2024, Esteban Ocon will depart from Alpine.

Handing his A524 over to Jack Doohan for FP1 in Canada, Esteban Ocon has laughed off suggestions that it is “punishment” for his Monaco transgressions.

Ocon made news in Monte Carlo for negative reasons when he crashed into his teammate Pierre Gasly on the inaugural lap. This happened despite him being repeatedly instructed, as per numerous reports, to “support” the leading driver.

Esteban Ocon: It’s not the case at all

Lifted into the air when he touched his team-mate’s wheel, Ocon came down hard, so hard he wasn’t able to take the restart.

The incident led to claims the Frenchman could find himself benched for the Canadian Grand Prix but that was denied by Ocon, who called it “misinformed statements”.

However, days later, Alpine made an announcement that he would not participate in the initial practice session at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. This decision was made to allow the team’s reserve driver, Jack Doohan, to fill one of the team’s two rookie FP1 slots.

Ocon quickly dismissed rumors that his actions in Monaco were being “punished”.

When questioned about it, he addressed the media in Montreal, saying, “I’ve often seen the media making that assumption, but it’s completely untrue.”

Our team is required to allocate two FP1s to newcomers. I’m assigning mine to Jack.

This track, initially green due to the new tarmac, is currently quite dirty. Therefore, it requires some cleaning.

Unfortunately, I received a five grid place penalty for the race. Therefore, my qualifying isn’t as crucial as usual, it’s more about the race trim.

From our team’s perspective, we believe we will likely have a more competitive car later in the year.

“So, it’s beneficial for us to run Doohan early, rather than doing it in Mexico or Abu Dhabi as we usually do.”

What’s next for Esteban Ocon?

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This weekend’s race marks Ocon’s final Canadian Grand Prix with Alpine having announced after Monaco that this season will be his last with the team.

However, similar to the Doohan speculation, there is also no connection to Monaco – it’s merely a matter of timing.

“He stated, “We’ve been discussing with the team for several months. Alpine and Renault are substantial groups, and they don’t base their decisions on just one race.”

We have been discussing and mutually agreed to conclude our agreement at the end of the contract.

I’ve dedicated five years to this team. We’ve experienced incredible highs and challenging lows, and in the context of Formula 1, five years is no short stint. Absolutely.

Yes, I am thrilled about the upcoming challenge and eager to conclude the collaboration on a positive note.

He stated, “I have yet to make an announcement about what comes next. I will reveal my future plans when the appropriate time arrives.”

Currently, my attention is solely on the upcoming weekend and the following races. I believe that participating in these races is crucial, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.

The ex-Mercedes junior driver, still under the management of Toto Wolff, is rumored to be linked with Haas and Audi. Doohan is considered the top pick to take over Ocon’s position.

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