Formula 1 Abu Dhabi GP
"This is not how I wanted things to end" Esteban Ocon says goodbye to Alpine
The 28-year-old French F1 driver expressed his feelings in his sincere farewell on social to the people he worked closest with, with a sincere jab at his former employer.
Anthony Wood
Edited: Dec 3, 2024, 7:51 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Esteban Ocon during the drivers parade
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
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.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine F1 Team, 2nd position, celebrates in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“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.”
Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
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.
Read Also:
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Netflix's "Senna" raided TAG Heuer's archives for all that wrist candy
Next article F1 to host final Dutch Grand Prix in 2026
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Anthony Wood
Never stop watching F1 thanks to these streaming movies and shows
Formula 1
Formula 1
Never stop watching F1 thanks to these streaming movies and shows
Alonso and his dad join Zak Brown for some “season-end fun” with legendary Senna Car
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alonso and his dad join Zak Brown for some “season-end fun” with legendary Senna Car
Backfired: The top F1 free agent moves that flopped
Formula 1
Formula 1
Backfired: The top F1 free agent moves that flopped
More from
Esteban Ocon
Fred Vasseur personally contributed $1m to Esteban Ocon’s first F1 drive
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Fred Vasseur personally contributed $1m to Esteban Ocon’s first F1 drive
Ayao Komatsu: Esteban Ocon axing ‘surprised everybody at Haas’
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Ayao Komatsu: Esteban Ocon axing ‘surprised everybody at Haas’
More from
Alpine
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
Pierre Gasly on Franco Colapinto fan pressure: “Once you deal with Helmut Marko, anything else is no pressure”
Alpine drivers penalised post-race, Ryo Hirakawa scores on F1 debut at Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
Mexican GP
Alpine drivers penalised post-race, Ryo Hirakawa scores on F1 debut at Mexico GP
Latest news
Joe Gibbs Racing moves to resolve one portion of Spire countersuit
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 1 h
Joe Gibbs Racing moves to resolve one portion of Spire countersuit
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
10 h
Alex Bowman hits out at critics in snarky post, shooting down early exit rumors
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Homestead-Miami
11 h
Ryan Blaney gets sweet redemption after 'nightmares' following 2024 Homestead loss
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 11 h
IndyCar 2026 season review: Dale Coyne Racing
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe