F1 star Esteban Ocon delivers BRUTAL takedown of ‘unhappy’ Alpine

Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon, 2023 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 star delivers BRUTAL takedown of ‘unhappy’ team

A Formula 1 star did not hold back in their assessment of their team

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 30 July 2024 15:57 Updated: 16:06

A Formula 1 star has delivered a brutal assessment of Alpine after revealing there is ‘unhappiness’ within the team.

Alpine have endured a difficult 2024 season, falling to the back of the grid and failing to develop ahead of their rivals.

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Their woes worsened at the Belgian Grand Prix, where they announced the departure of their team principal Bruno Famin, only a year after Otmar Szafnauer was axed from the role.

Race winner Esteban Ocon will also leave Alpine after five seasons with the team, where he will join Haas for 2025.

Ocon has a history of being a difficult team-mate and faced frequent clashes with Pierre Gasly during his time at Alpine.

Pierre Gasly has clashed with team-mate Esteban Ocon both on and off the track

Esteban Ocon unearths ‘unhappiness’ at Alpine

Speaking to the media, including GPFans, at the Belgian Grand Prix, Ocon did not hold back on his assessment of the team.

“The decision for me was quite clear, you know, quite a long time ago, that I wanted a new challenge, I wanted to write my story,” Ocon said. “In Formula 1 terms, we've achieved good things we've achieved, you know, things a little bit more difficult at times.

“But yes, for sure. You know, this season has been frustrating, it’s no secret that no one's happy inside the team, to where we are. And there hasn't been, you know, enough of an improvement on some terms, on some technical issues that we had years ago.”

Esteban Ocon had some choice words to say about his soon to be former team

In an interview with Sky Sports F1, Ocon further elaborated on the ‘unhappiness’ within the team, claiming Alpine do not listen to their drivers.

“It’s not a secret that it’s been frustrating lately, not having a good car,” he added.

“We haven’t been listened to, the way we should have been. Myself, Pierre [Gasly], Daniel [Ricciardo], Fernando [Alonso].

“We’ve said things about the car that haven’t been tackled, haven’t been fixed.

“We end up with issues from three or four years ago that we still have today. This isn’t possible in Formula 1.”

Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

Formula 1 Alpine Haas Esteban Ocon Bruno Famin Otmar Szafnauer