Esteban Ocon is set to bid farewell to Alpine in 2025. After five seasons, he will be leaving the French racing stable for a future with Haas. This year, Alpine has been struggling, with points being scarce, which threatens to leave the team in ninth place in the championship. Ocon hopes for a turnaround in his last six races with Alpine, although the collaboration seems to be heading towards a ‘sad’ ending.
Esteban Ocon spoke ahead of the race weekend in Austin. “It will certainly be difficult,” he reflected on his last six Grands Prix with Alpine. The team, with thirteen points, is in a disappointing ninth place in the championship. However, competitor Williams has only three more points than the team from Enstone. “Williams is on the rise,” warned Ocon. “They have been very fast all season and probably better than us.”
“Our place in the constructors’ championship probably has to do with the performance of the car,” explained Ocon. “The whole team is doing its best to improve, but recovery will be very difficult. Of course, we will not give up. We will do our best until the end of the year.”
‘Sad Ending’
“Even though it has been difficult, I will not give up easily,” added the Frenchman. “I still want to end my chapter with this team on a good note, even though it has not gone as I wanted. At the moment, it seems to be a sad ending, but hopefully we can catch up and perform better for the rest of the season.”
Esteban Ocon returned to Formula 1 in 2020, after a year on the bench at Mercedes, when Renault offered him a seat. Since then, he has been on the podium three times and has won one race. In 2024, the relationship with Alpine cooled, and the team management decided not to offer him a new contract. Reserve driver Jack Doohan will take over from Ocon next year.
