Possibly overlooked by the excitement and drama of a wet Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday (June 9th) was the latest chapter in the ongoing Esteban Ocon-Alpine relationship that could easily be described as “toxic.” Late in the race in Montreal, Ocon, in ninth place and managing a power unit issue, was asked politely to concede the position to teammate Pierre Gasly so that Gasly could attack Daniel Ricciardo in eighth. After first refusing, Ocon eventually agreed with the assurance from the team that should Gasly fail to overtake Ricciardo, Gasly would give the position back to Ocon. Whether the team agreed to this condition is unclear, but Gasly did not pass Ricciardo, and Gasly did not give the position back to Ocon.
The team cited the danger of losing a position or positions to the trailing Haas cars for not giving Ocon the position back. Ocon seemed not to accept Alpine’s explanation, calling their orders “unexplainable,” which I believe is French for “inexplicable.” That’s not surprising because if you can show me a driver on the short end of a team order who didn’t question it, then I can show you Bigfoot riding a unicorn on oceanfront property in Arizona.
The real issue here is why on earth would Ocon believe the words coming out of Alpine’s mouth? Alpine would not have the best interest of a driver in mind when said driver is not returning to the team the following year. Especially when the reason Ocon is not returning is due to his actions at the Monaco Grand Prix on May 26th. Early in the first lap of that race, Ocon made an extremely ill-advised lunge in an effort to pass Gasly, initiating contact that bounced Ocon’s Alpine into the air. Gasly famously exclaimed over the team radio, “What did he do? What did he do?” A question that, considering the gravity of the situation, was quite an understatement. Gasly could continue, but Ocon retired from the race with a damaged gearbox after returning to the pits.
Not long after the crash, Alpine team principal Bruno Famin blasted Ocon’s actions as irresponsible in a live television interview, stating that “there would be consequences.” This moment essentially spelled the end of Ocon’s tenure with Alpine. Just a few days later, Ocon announced he would leave Alpine at season’s end. Ocon and Alpine said other factors played a role in Ocon’s departure, and the decision was not based solely on the Monaco debacle. That is probably an accurate…
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