Favourites to replace Ocon at Alpine include Jack Doohan, Mick Schumacher, and Zhou Guanyu, with Doohan tipped to race for the French team next season. Doohan, who finished third in the 2023 Formula 2 World Championship and is currently Alpine’s reserve driver, will have a chance to prove his capabilities to Famin in FP1 at the Canadian GP. This follows Ocon’s challenging weekend in Monaco.
The weeks after have been eventful for the French driver. After colliding with teammate Pierre Gasly on the first lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, Alpine team principal Bruno Famin reacted angrily on TV, admonishing Ocon and hinting at future “consequences” for his actions. This sparked speculation that the one-time race winner would be benched for the Montreal round as a team-sanctioned punishment.
While Esteban Ocon has dismissed claims that Alpine is sidelining him for FP1 at the Canadian Grand Prix as punishment, the 27-year-old will sit out the session, with Jack Doohan stepping in for the weekend-opening practice hour at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. While Alpine has given no information, it is plausible due to the five-place grid penalty that Ocon received for the Canadian race.
It has been further confirmed that Ocon will leave Alpine at the end of the season. His next F1 team is still unknown, but reports suggest that Sauber/Audi and Haas are interested in the experienced race winner for 2025.
Doohan has taken to the media to state that he remains quite excited about the race weekend in Montreal. Doohan further expressed his excitement about driving at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve for the first time. He conveyed his gratitude to the team for the opportunity to get more track time and to familiarise himself with the 2024 machinery early in the season. He mentioned that this experience would help with his simulator work, especially for the European rounds. Doohan emphasised his focus on doing his best for the team, maximising the session for both drivers and understanding the new track surface.
It must be noted that Doohan’s drive in Canada is part of a compulsory requirement for all F1 teams to run a rookie in two FP1 sessions each season. Rumours on Ocon’s sidelining remained rumours and not official.
An exciting weekend awaits the new French driver as he goes back to the once-French colony and iconic city of Montreal, Canada.
