F1 team announce driver REPLACEMENT after shock exit confirmed

Liam Lawson, Jack Doohan, Netherlands, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

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F1 team announce driver REPLACEMENT after shock exit confirmed

A shock driver announcement has been confirmed following the Qatar GP

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 2 December 2024 19:45 Updated: 21:22

A Formula 1 team have moved quickly to announce a replacement as they confirmed the shock exit of one of their drivers ahead of the season finale at Abu Dhabi this weekend.

The penultimate round of the 2024 season in Qatar last time out was full of controversial decisions, with two yellow flags, multiple race restarts and five DNFs, but it is a decision announced by one team in the aftermath of the race that has perhaps become the most controversial.

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The 23rd grand prix of the year saw mixed emotions throughout the paddock. McLaren were denied the chance to secure the constructors' championship thanks to a severe FIA penalty handed to Lando Norris, Red Bull took home another victory thanks to Max Verstappen yet his team-mate Sergio Perez failed to finish the race, and Mercedes once again left Lewis Hamilton ready to throw in the towel after a dismal showing.

Another outfit who found themselves both celebrating and commiserating their result simultaneously were Alpine, who, thanks to the efforts of Pierre Gasly, have reclaimed P6 in the constructors' championship after his top-five finish at the Lusail International Circuit.

Esteban Ocon on the other hand failed to make it past the first corner after a collision involving himself, Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto, with all three drivers unable to finish the race.

Esteban Ocon drove for Renault in 2020 before the team became Alpine the following year

Alpine secured a double podium at the Brazilian GP

Alpine announce shock driver swap

Ocon himself has already signed a contract to head to Haas F1 team for the 2025 season, but it seems he will now be heading to the American-owned constructor a lot earlier than expected, with Alpine confirming he will not drive for them at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next weekend.

The 28-year-old has been with the Enstone-based team since they joined the grid in 2021 following a rebrand of Renault, and remains a major part of the team's history as their first grand prix winner.

Following a disastrous run in Qatar however, Ocon has now driven his final race for Alpine and will be making an early exit, with 2025 Alpine driver Jack Doohan confirmed to be stepping into Ocon's seat for the season finale at Yas Marina Circuit.

The driver swap has reportedly been activated so that Ocon can participate in the post-season test for Haas the Tuesday after the final race of 2024, with Sky F1 pundit Ted Kravitz reporting that Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore had struck a deal with Ocon to get Doohan in the seat early.

TEAM STATEMENT@jackdoohan33 will race at the #AbuDhabiGP in place of Esteban Ocon pic.twitter.com/EcdCZrZTJA
— BWT Alpine Formula One Team (@AlpineF1Team) December 2, 2024

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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