Esteban Ocon to Race in Canadian Grand Prix Amid Alpine Turmoil

Esteban Ocon confirmed his presence and activity at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix this weekend through a series of tweets. Alpine’s team principal, Bruno Famin, openly expressed extreme anger after Ocon’s crash with teammate Pierre Gasly at Monaco. Speculation arose that Williams dismissed the idea of recruiting him for 2025 due to the incident. Additionally, whispers circulated about a possible internal suspension by Alpine. The French newspaper L’Equipe clarified that the rumors of a racing suspension were inaccurate. “According to our information, he (Ocon) will be in Montreal,” the French sports daily reported, “but he will not continue with the French brand beyond the end of his (2024) contract.”

“I’m looking forward to competing in Montreal, in front of the fantastic Canadian fans, and to the exciting opportunities the future holds,” he stated. Ocon also expressed his “saddened” feeling towards some narratives following the Monaco GP, emphasizing: “We are not robots. We are athletes pushing ourselves to the limit every day to achieve our dreams of winning races.” “The misinformed statements and gross distortions that I have seen online in recent days about my ability to work with a team have been inaccurate, hurtful, and damaging,” he continued.

Esteban Ocon clarified that he had adhered to Alpine’s pre-race “instructions,” and he reaffirmed his “responsibility” for the incident at the Monaco GP. Amid performance struggles, Alpine faces Rob White’s departure, a long-serving operations director. Despite challenges, Famin praised the team’s weight reduction efforts and clarified performance reports. “Contrary to popular or widespread belief, the A524 goes much faster than the A523,” he informed Auto Hebdo. “I’ve read some crazy stuff on this subject, but it’s true that relatively speaking, we lost positions, which means that the others progressed more than us and that we weren’t able to develop quickly enough.”