It is said that after the collision between Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon in the first lap of the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, Alpin team boss Bruno Famen wanted to suspend Ocon for a stage as a disciplinary measure. It was not possible to do so after consulting with lawyers, but questions remained: what should the F1 team do with a driver who launches such a reckless attack on his teammate? Especially considering that at the end of the 2024 season, Esteban will definitely be gone anyway. Two authors of “Championship” argued: take the runner out or leave him.
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Why not fire Esteban? Yes, it would be unreasonable to expect someone to be able to sit in the Ocon’s cabin and drive better right away. At the same time, there is no point in exaggerating the importance of the Frenchman’s results: Alpin is only fighting for eighth place in the Constructors’ Championship, and even seventh place would be a miracle: two or three Ocon finishes in tenth place would not allow him get ahead of Haas.
Is there a big difference in prize money between seventh and ninth place in the Constructors’ Championship? Is it worth continuing to work with this money with a pilot who has already decided to leave? Additionally, after Monaco, there are some doubts about Ocon’s willingness to move Alpin up two places in the team standings.
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At the same time, by continuing to work with Esteban, the team is condemned to hide from the driver certain information about new products and working with the car; This is not very useful in the fight for points. Furthermore, we must not forget: as Ocon runs out of a place for the 2025 season, he will always attack aggressively.
The problem, however, is not the Monaco Grand Prix accident. The team is in crisis, there is a lot of work ahead and it will not be finished at the start of the 2025 season. So wouldn’t it be more useful for Enstone to start this work now and let Jack Duane gain experience or prove what Mick Schumacher is capable of? still?
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon fight at the Miami Grand Prix
Photo: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images
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In Monaco, Esteban, of course, committed great stupidity, but even this cannot become a reason to castle Ocon – Douin.
The number one reason is legal litigation. Nowadays, drivers are more than ever protected from dismissal by contracts and therefore it is unlikely that it will be possible to dismiss a driver mid-season (unless, of course, this is happening in the system of Red Bull). Of course, even in recent years there have been precedents where drivers left the team before the end of their contract, but it is clear that these problems were not resolved in a couple of weeks. And also, we must not forget about the considerable fine that the driver will have to pay for early cancellation; From a financial point of view, Alpin is clearly not in the mood for this now.
Reason number 2: Today Ocon is definitely better than Duane. It’s a terribly banal thought, but it’s impossible without it. Let us not forget why Esteban’s actions in Monaco resonated so strongly. At this moment, Alpin urgently needs points and risks becoming the worst team of the season, a shame for the official team. And here the question is: who can bring results here and now? A man who fought on equal terms with Pérez and Alonso, who has seven seasons in F1 behind him, or a junior who failed to win the F2 championship in two seasons. Have you been competing exclusively in a simulator for the last six months? I think the answer is obvious.
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Here it must also be taken into account that Duen, although a good pilot, does not yet have the talent of Piastri’s level. It is unlikely that Jack will be able to get used to the new championship as quickly as possible, especially considering he last competed at the start of the race six months ago. But competitive practice is something important. Last year, when he debuted in F1, Lawson had skated almost a full season in Super Formula. So if Alpin now promotes Duen to fighter pilot, then in fact he will sign his intention to fight for such precious points with only one car – the efforts of Pierre Gasly.
Reason #3: Ocon will be forced to calm down. Yes, in Monte Carlo Esteban put his own ambitions before the interests of the team, but it is doubtful that he will continue to maintain this line of behavior in the future. In Monaco, we have most likely seen the height of Ocon’s selfishness, after which his level will decline.
Why should the Frenchman pull himself together and start acting in the interests of the team? Well, at least because his career depends on it. Esteban definitely won’t be staying at Alpin, so other teams must be interested, and similar antics to what Ocon pulled in Monaco certainly don’t increase the chances of finding a new racing team.
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