Esteban Ocon Makes Early Alpine Exit As Jack Doohan Steps In For Abu Dhabi GP

Esteban Ocon is set to be replaced by reserve driver Jack Doohan at Alpine for the Formula 1 season finale in Abu Dhabi next week.

Back in June, it was announced that Ocon would part ways with the French team at the end of the 2024 season. It was later confirmed that he would be joining the American team Haas on a multi-year contract starting in 2025.

Having raced for Renault’s works team since 2020, his time with the French squad has ended ahead of schedule, as this earlier exit will allow him to take part in the post-season test with Haas at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

“The team would like to thank Esteban for his time at the team and he will remain part of the team’s history achieving the first win for Alpine in Formula 1. We wish Esteban the best for the future,” said Alpine in a statement.

Ocon has been experiencing a rough patch in recent races—except for the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he secured a second-place finish ahead of his teammate Pierre Gasly.

In his final race of the season in Qatar, the Frenchman faced an unfortunate end to his time with the team, as he was eliminated on the opening lap after colliding with Williams’ Franco Colapinto and Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg.

With that, Ocon leaves the Enstone-based outfit with 23 points, placing him 14th in the standings with one race remaining. He now looks ahead to preparing for his first outing with Haas in the post-Abu Dhabi test.

As for Doohan, his debut next week gives him a solid head start as he prepares for his rookie season with the French team next year.

“Stoked to be racing in Abu Dhabi this weekend for my debut Grand Prix,” said the Australian on social media. “Grateful to Alpine for the trust and for giving me this opportunity.

“Also very grateful to Esteban who I’ve learnt a great deal from over the last two years. He’s been beneficial to my learning and development in Formula 1 and wish him the best for his future. Focused on the job at hand this week and working with Pierre to help the team achieve its objective.”

Esteban Ocon’s Career At Alpine

Ocon joined Renault from Force India in 2020, having secured his first career podium with a second-place finish in Sakhir, Bahrain, and scoring a total of 62 points in his first season with the team.

The following year, he won both his and the team’s maiden victory in Hungary by 1.859 seconds over Sebastian Vettel, who was then disqualified for an insufficient fuel sample and lost second place to Lewis Hamilton. Ocon wrapped up that season in 11th place, scoring 74 points.

In 2022, he enjoyed his highest finish in the drivers’ championship with Alpine, securing eighth place with 92 points. In 2023, he ended the season 12th with 58 points, with the standout moment being a podium finish in Monaco, where he took third place.

Ocon’s final stretch with Alpine this year had its share of struggles and frustrations despite that double podium in Sao Paulo and a career-first fastest lap in Austin, Texas.

Earlier this season, he found himself in some tense moments with Gasly after their collision in Monaco, which caused damage to both cars while Ocon was trying to make an overtake on his teammate. This incident has fueled speculation about his future with the team and the possibility of being replaced the following round in Canada.

Just a few days before the Montreal weekend, Alpine announced that Ocon would leave the team at the end of the 2024 season, but the decision was not believed to be directly related to the Monaco incident.

In the penultimate round of the season in Qatar, following his early retirement from the race, Ocon’s conversations with the media felt more like a farewell address, hinting at a potential departure from Alpine. This sparked rumors suggesting that his time with the team might come to an early end.

When team principal Oliver Oakes was asked about these speculations, he said, “I think it comes from all sides really. I guess you could say it’s good to get Jack in early, I think you could say from Esteban’s side it’s good to move on early.

“I think it suits everybody, so I think the discussion was quite natural really, and I think Esteban’s been a big part of this team as well and from both sides it suits each other.”

Now that everything has been confirmed, Esteban Ocon will end his five-year stint with Alpine with one race remaining and join Haas in 2025, where he will team up with young Brit Oliver Bearman.