F1 News: Alpine's driver dilemma - who could replace Ocon at the Canadian Grand Prix?

Esteban Ocon, Alpine, Monaco, 2024 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Features

Alpine's driver dilemma - who could replace Ocon at the Canadian Grand Prix?

We have examined who could replace Esteban Ocon in Canada

Originally written by Sheona Mountford. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 28 May 2024 18:00

Alpine’s contentious driver pairing of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly boiled over at the Monaco Grand Prix with Ocon crashing into his team-mate.

Following the race, Gasly revealed they had been given instructions to prioritise the driver ahead, his team-mate blatantly ignoring these orders.

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Team boss, Bruno Famin, was unhappy with the incident and claimed there would be ‘consequences’, with Sky Sports suggesting Ocon could be replaced as soon as Canada.

GPFans assessed who could replace Ocon at Alpine, ranked from least to most likely.

Esteban Ocon could be sacked from Alpine

Ocon and Pierre Gasly have a poor relationship according to reports

Victor Martins

The French driver won the 2022 F3 championship, and currently competes in F2 achieving a race win and fifth in the championship in his rookie season.

However, this year Martins’ form has dipped, with zero championship points and languishing towards the bottom of the table.

Whilst his nationality and junior pedigree may once have been enough to secure him an F1 drive, his recent performances put him bottom of this list as more attractive prospects emerge.

Mick Schumacher

Mick Schumacher has recently revealed he is targeting a F1 return, but could it be as soon as Canada?

The German currently races for Alpine in Hypercar, the WEC’s top class, with Famin reportedly ‘impressed’ with Schumacher’s performances.

Famin’s praise for his teamwork are particularly fascinating, offering stability in contrast to the aggression Ocon sometimes displays.

"We used to say that single-seater drivers are selfish. Mick, from the very first minute, has been very open, very cooperative, really helpful for his team-mates, ready to learn everything – especially from endurance – and a super mindset, super team spirit," Famin said according to Autosport.

During Schumacher’s stint in F1 with Haas was consistently off-the-pace of his team-mate Kevin Magnussen, and had a number of high profile crashes.

Most notably, crashed out of qualifying during qualifying at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in 2022 ruling him out of Sunday’s, whilst ripping his Haas apart with a crash in Monaco.

Whilst a couple of years is a long time in F1, Famin must consider these incidents unless he wants to see a repetition of Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix.

Jack Doohan

Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan seems the most likely to replace Ocon for the Canadian Grand Prix after being seen talking to Famin by Ted Kravitz after the race in Monaco.

The Aussie, who raced in F2 from 2021-2023 is the son of Grand Prix motorcycle road racing World Champion, Mick Doohan.

Doohan finished third in the 2023 championship and has six wins to his name in the series.

Once again, his youth and inexperience could be quite the gamble for Alpine, despite his skill Doohan has demonstrated in his career, he is still an unknown quantity for the team.

If he could be the perfect number two driver to support Pierre Gasly and avoid competitive collisions like we saw from Ocon, then he may be the perfect choice for the team.

However, Doohan will be keen to prove himself as a long term prospect in Formula 1 which may work for or against if he is eventually given a chance on the grid.

Whilst these three are the most immediate choices to replace Ocon, could we see a more sure pair of hands in his seat for 2025?

Valtteri Bottas has been connected to a seat at Alpine, admitting to talking to other teams now that a position at Sauber/Audi seems less certain following the signing of Nico Hulkenberg.

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

IndyCar Esteban Ocon Pierre Gasly Monaco Grand Prix Bruno Famin