Esteban Ocon has hinted he wants to end his Alpine adventure soon because it takes away from the “fun” of racing in F1.
It’s a development that symbolizes the Renault-owned team’s crisis in 2024. Esteban Ocon struggled throughout the weekend with a lack of pace as well as multiple technical issues.
“I had a lot of problems,” Ocon, who will move to Haas next season, said in Singapore. “I could barely drive it. It was the same at Monza.”
“We’re trying to build confidence here, do more laps and improve the car step by step, but performance is not even a topic of conversation. There have always been different issues.”
Officially, Alpine and Ocon’s contract was terminated by mutual consent, but speculation is that either the team grew tired of the 28-year-old driver’s selfish style of driving, or Ocon could not bear to spend another season with the Enstone-based team.
“It hasn’t been a fun season for anyone so far,” Ocon said on Thursday. “I haven’t enjoyed driving for a long time. I want to end my time here in the best possible way, but right now we’re in ninth place.”
“I’m doing everything I can to turn the situation around but it’s very difficult when other teams are moving forward. It’s certainly not easy but I’m not giving up. Unfortunately, it’s a sad ending to this story.”
“I didn’t want it to end like this, but I am doing my best for a brand that has been so special to me for so many years. Of course I will remain focused until the end, but I am also keeping an eye on what they do at Haas.”
“They’re making very good progress.”
Some have suggested that Haas was his only option after 2025, but in fact he had the opportunity for a seat fitting at Williams this season and is reported to have turned down an offer from Audi-owned Sauber.
Speaking about Haas’ new team principal, Reio Komatsu, Ocon said: “I’ve known Komatsu for a long time, ever since he was my first race engineer in F1. He convinced me about the direction they were aiming for.”
Category: F1 / Esteban Ocon / Alpine F1 Team
