The incident, the place Ocon tried to barge his well beyond Gasly, proved terminal for the aggressor as his automotive turned briefly airborne and precipitated injury that might not be repaired throughout the purple flag. It very practically took Gasly out of the race too, as he sustained a puncture and suspension injury; fortunately for the ex-AlphaTauri driver, this was sorted out throughout the 40-minute stoppage.
Famin warned of “penalties” for Ocon, stating to Canal+ that “Esteban’s dive was fully misplaced, it was precisely what we did not need to see.” For a crew struggling to attain factors this season, it was a transfer that very practically price a helpful tenth place.
Alpine is now understood to be mulling over its choices to make sure no additional outbreaks of competition happen between the 2. This might be something from an accord between drivers to Ocon being benched for no less than a race to put down a marker.
That Alpine and Famin are even prepared to contemplate “drastic motion” hints at how dangerous issues have turn out to be between its two drivers. It was at all times assumed that partnering Ocon and Gasly collectively, two drivers with a long-documented adversarial relationship, would at all times come to blows finally.
Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Picture by: Alpine
Their relationship is one side to contemplate, but it surely additionally cements a criticism of Ocon that he has struggled to shake in his time as an F1 driver: that he struggles to be a crew participant.
After Ocon’s spectacular debut runs with backmarkers Manor in 2016, he moved right into a Pressure India drive for 2017 to associate Sergio Perez on the squad. Though their partnership initially appeared harmonious, it took a flip within the aftermath of that 12 months’s Canadian Grand Prix: Ocon felt that Perez ought to have let him by to problem Daniel Ricciardo forward, whereas Perez asserted that he was making an attempt to strain the Australian into making a mistake.
Two weeks later, Ocon shoved Perez right into a wall on the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and put the Mexican out on the spot: Perez reckoned that, given the best way the race panned out, Pressure India may need had a shot at securing its first-ever victory.
Later within the season, the 2 made contact once more at Hungary, after which twice on the Belgian Grand Prix: Perez accepted full blame for the primary bout of wheel-banging on the run to Eau Rouge, however felt Ocon had been “an excessive amount of on the restrict” of their lap 28 conflict on the exit of La Supply. Pressure India banned the 2 from racing once more for the remainder of the 12 months.
Esteban Ocon, Racing Level Pressure India VJM11, Sergio Perez, Racing Level Pressure India VJM11 and Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Crew VF-18
Picture by: Manuel Goria / Motorsport Photographs
That rule was reinstated after their Singapore 2018 conflict, when Ocon tried to comb Perez across the outdoors of Flip 3 – and once more, the 2 banged wheels. Ocon was the one which got here worst off in that occasion, but it surely’s onerous to contemplate one other team-mate pairing racing one another as onerous. Perez later admitted that he and Ocon had by no means bought on significantly nicely as team-mates.
There was no actual likelihood for Ocon to return to blows on monitor with Daniel Ricciardo of their 12 months collectively as Renault team-mates, partly as a result of the Australian was most of the time a lot additional forward, however there have been flashpoints when Fernando Alonso rejoined the crew for 2021.
Alonso initially confirmed willingness to work with Ocon of their first 12 months collectively because the crew transitioned to the Alpine identify. The Spaniard notably put up a powerful defence towards Lewis Hamilton to assist Ocon declare his first F1 win at Hungary, however the roles weren’t reversed the next 12 months: he took a dim view of being blocked by his team-mate firstly of the 2022 version of the Hungaroring race.
The 2-time champion was already lower than happy by Ocon’s willingness to nearly shove him into the wall in Jeddah, and when the 2 battled throughout the Brazil dash race, Ocon guided his team-mate off-track at Descida do Lago and Alonso slid sideways on the kerbs. Alonso responded by making an attempt a cross on the ascent to the start-finish straight, however did so too late and knocked his entrance wing off.
Though Alonso accepted the blame, he felt aggrieved by Ocon’s defences all year long. When requested if the 2 would speak issues out after the Brazil race, Alonso delivered a stinging riposte: “No, not likely, I need not. Yet one more race and it is over, lastly.”
Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Crew, Otmar Szafnauer, Crew Principal, Alpine F1, and Fernando Alonso, Alpine F1 Crew
Picture by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Photographs
Now, Ocon appears to be enveloped in one other poor intra-team relationship, a theme that continues to persist in his F1 profession. It stays to be seen what Famin will do, and it is probably that he’ll learn his two drivers the riot act and ban them from racing one another if they cannot accomplish that sensibly.
If Ocon will get benched, not solely may it’s dying knell for his time at Alpine, however may additionally take him out of the operating for different drives on the grid. Of the groups with seats obtainable, the likes of Sauber and Haas have been identified to have an interest – however his perceived avoidance in enjoying the crew recreation would possibly start to repel their curiosity.
Ocon has spoken beforehand about not eager to be left on the 2025 driver market sidelines, as he was in 2019. Key to that’s demonstrating that he can work with Gasly and take a extra circumspect method over the remainder of the season. He does not have to swing too far the opposite method and acquiesce fully to his team-mate – however typically, discretion is the higher a part of valour.
Mending bridges with Gasly could be a begin and, if he can flip the nook and present that they’ll mix harmoniously for the great of the crew, Alpine would possibly really feel sufficiently enfranchised to maintain them each on. If not, it appears like Ocon could be the driving force extra more likely to be disposed of for 2025.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 A524
Picture by: Erik Junius
