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Alpine’s line-up will look a little different this weekend, with news Jack Doohan will make his F1 race debut earlier than expected alongside Pierre Gasly with Esteban Ocon released a race early. But why?
The French team said in a statement that the move was to allow Ocon to drive for Haas – whom he’ll race for next year – in the end-of-season test in Abu Dhabi. The Frenchman was contracted until the end of the year – and thus needed special dispensation to take part.
READ MORE: Alpine confirm Doohan to race in Abu Dhabi as Ocon is released
Sometimes, teams allow their departing driver to take part in the test as a goodwill gesture. An example is Ferrari permitting Carlos Sainz to drive for Williams this year ahead of his full debut with the team next year. Other times, they don’t – such as Lewis Hamilton having to wait until 2025 to get a first taste of Ferrari machinery.
Discussions have been on-going for weeks regarding Alpine allowing Ocon to drive for Haas in the test – and it looked increasingly likely that he would be permitted to do so, but in plain white overalls to avoid any clashes with sponsors as he would remain contracted until the end of the year.
However, alongside those discussions, Ocon was enduring a difficult time in terms of performance on-track. Aside from Brazil, where he scored a brilliant second in wet conditions, the Frenchman has been comfortably outperformed by team mate Pierre Gasly.
In the last four races, Gasly has scored 27 points to Ocon’s 18. Points are crucial for the team in a tight fight for P6 in the constructors’ championship, the French squad just five points clear of Haas with one race to go.
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Ocon believed there was an issue with his car that was preventing him from matching his team mate for pace. In Las Vegas, he told me he reckoned the problem was costing him at least half a second per lap – which in modern day F1 can be the difference between getting kicked out of Q1 and making Q3.
Sources say the team have worked extensively to investigate the issue but they couldn’t find a problem with his car and the data showed the two cars were the same.
It’s unlikely Alpine would give Ocon a car that wasn’t as good as Gasly’s but that doesn’t mean that Ocon couldn’t feel like something was wrong. It’s more likely that the relationship between team and driver was becoming strained since the news emerged he’d be leaving at the end of the season.
Alpine are keen to end the near five-year chapter on a high, which included a peak of Ocon’s victory in Hungary back in 2021. The duo have had a largely harmonious time together, with the 28-year-old having played a key role in the team’s three successive top-six constructors’ championship finishes between 2021-2023.
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It feels like the relationship has come to its natural conclusion, with both sides ready for their respective next chapters – so parting ways with immediate effect made sense.
Sources say discussions about ending the deal early had taken place for around a week but accelerated after Ocon qualified 20th for the Qatar Grand Prix.
With Alpine having cut ties with Ocon with immediate effect, the 28-year-old will be free to drive in the one-day test for Haas as well as excusing him from any other Alpine team or partner events for the remainder of the year.
It is likely Ocon will embed himself with the American squad during the race weekend, too, given he’s suddenly got more time on his hands – however Haas have yet to confirm their plans.
It also allows Alpine to give Doohan a chance to get a full weekend under his belt ahead of his full-time debut with the team next year.
The Australian was already down to do the FP1, but now he’ll get three practice sessions plus qualifying and the race to acclimatise before getting a full day in the car in the end-of-season test.
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The 21-year-old knows the track well, having raced there in junior formulae including a F2 win in the 2023 Feature race – and thus that should help him get up to speed a little quicker.
Scoring points on debut will be tough, given he’s had such short notice to drive – but equally, he can go in without any pressure and enjoy a car that has been operating at a high level through Gasly, since Alpine introduced an update in Austin, and knowledge of the track.
Perform strongly and it’ll give him and the team a huge amount of confidence ahead of his 2025 debut campaign.
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