Following his unceremonious exit from Alpine, the Haas-bound Esteban Ocon has taken to social media where his disappointment has been made crystal clear. The 28-year-old and Alpine’s increasingly fractious relationship came to a crunching end at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he crashed out on the first corner following a collision with Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and Williams’ Franco Colapinto.
With Ocon's bags all but packed already, the French team subsequently wasted no time in finally cutting ties with the Frenchman, announcing that Aussie Jack Doohan would be taking his seat for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Having spent the past five years together, a moving montage or touching message from the team reflecting on the good times they'd enjoyed with Ocon might have been expected. But, no. Alpine opted instead to keep its message short and sweet, waving goodbye to the one-time Grand Prix winner with a single paragraph.
“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," the statement read.
Fast forward to Tuesday, and Ocon took to Instagram where he took a vastly different approach to his blunt departure.
“I would like to first and foremost thank the mechanics and engineers across all functions at the track, Enstone, and Viry-Châtillon who have raced alongside me these last five seasons,” he wrote.
“We have shared so much together, and I am proud to call many of you my friends. I leave Alpine Renault with great memories and the pride of having been the driver who brought the team's best results since its return to the sport, climbing the top two steps of the podium in Bahrain, Hungary, and Brazil.
“It was also an honour to play a part in finishing P4 in the Constructors' Championship in 2022. I know how much all of those moments meant for everybody and feeling that sense of achievement and joy alongside the team is what I am taking away with me.”
Amidst the largely touching sentiment of his message, an unapologetic Ocon admitted that 2024 had not gone to plan, saying “It has not been an easy year on track for the team and the second part of the season has been especially difficult. For various reasons.
“I do not regret a single thing knowing I gave it 100% every single session. Like I always have.”
Ocon did, however, apologize to those back at the team’s UK and France bases, admitting he wished he could have said “a proper farewell” in person — taking a sly dig at his former employers in the process.
“As you know, the plan was always to race one last time this weekend and personally say goodbye to you all next week. I was looking forward to both of those things,” he wrote.
When it came to Doohan, Ocon kept it classy, taking the opportunity to wish his “friend” and replacement “nothing but great things.”
Ultimately, his final words to the team read simply: “Merci. Thank you.”
The team responded, once again kept it brief, commenting: “Forever engrained in the Team’s history. Thank you Esteban. Best of luck.”
After a year away from the grid, during which he teamed up with his manager and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff as the Silver Arrows' reserve driver, Ocon made his F1 return the following season with the then-Renault team partnering Daniel Ricciardo.
Ocon wasted no time in making the most of his fresh start, picking up his first F1 podium at the Sakhir Grand Prix where he finished second behind Sergio Perez. The following year he went a step further, winning the Hungarian Grand Prix after starting eighth in what was also the first win for the team since the switch to the Alpine branding that year.
Fast forward to 2024, and tensions between the often divisive Ocon and Alpine were on the rise, not least following his race-ending clash with teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco. And just two months later, Ocon announced he had reached a deal to join Haas on a multi-year deal, starting in 2025.
However, in what turned out to be a remarkable goodbye gift, longtime rivals Ocon and Gasly would go on to give Alpine its first-ever double podium finish in Sao Paulo.
Looking ahead, it’s now up to Doohan to make the most of this valuable early Christmas present with Alpine looking to secure its sixth-place finish in the Constructors' Championship ahead of Haas and RB. Once Sunday’s season finale has come to a close, Doohan will remain at the Yas Marina Circuit in order to participate in the end-of-season test.
