Esteban Ocon Refutes Claims of Alpine Exit Being ‘Punishment’ for Monaco Clash with Pierre Gasly

Esteban Ocon refutes claims that his departure from Alpine F1 is a repercussion of his collision with teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco, maintaining that the incident has not influenced his future in Formula 1.

Esteban Ocon has refuted claims that his exit from the Alpine F1 team is connected to his clash with teammate Pierre Gasly in Monaco.

During the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, Ocon collided with Gasly, which upset Alpine's team boss Bruno Famin and sparked rumors that the French driver might be sidelined for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.

Earlier this week, Alpine revealed that Ocon will depart from the team at the end of the year when his contract concludes, marking the end of his five-year tenure at Enstone.

When questioned about whether Alpine was 'punishing' him and if the incident in Monaco had played a role in the decision, Ocon responded to Sky Sports F1: “No, not at all. A company like Renault doesn't base its decisions on isolated events like that.”

Ocon emphasized that his departure from Alpine was a joint decision reached after several months of discussions.

He mentioned that they had been in discussions for several months and ultimately decided together not to proceed. He also acknowledged that it was well-known they had been in talks with Alpine and other teams.

"I dedicated five years to this team, experiencing both significant accomplishments and challenging times. Despite the ups and downs, I take pride in what I have achieved here. Now, I am ready to pursue new and thrilling opportunities."

"I believe it was certainly the appropriate moment to conclude our relationship."

When questioned about the rumors suggesting that Famin had threatened to sideline him for the Canada race, Ocon responded, “You should ask the team about that because I don't know anything about it. My preparation for the Canada race has been the same as always.”

In the FIA press conference held in Montreal on Thursday, Gasly chose his words cautiously when responding to questions about the recent news.

"It's just… I'm pausing for a moment to choose my words carefully, aware of how each one will be interpreted by you all," he remarked.

"The history between Esteban and me is quite extensive. Over the past year and a half, we've successfully collaborated in a highly professional manner, which is worth noting."

"It’s been challenging at times, as you might expect from two highly competitive drivers, but given our history, I believe it’s been positive overall. So, yes, I would maintain this perspective."

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