Esteban Ocon could be benched by Alpine in Canada

In the aftermath of a collision involving teammates Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly during the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, the Alpine F1 team may sideline Ocon for the Canadian Grand Prix. The incident, which resulted in Ocon’s retirement and compromised the team’s standings, has led to internal criticism and discussions of significant disciplinary measures.

The iconic streets of Monte Carlo became a scene of frustration for Alpine during the Monaco Grand Prix. The issue stemmed from Esteban Ocon’s overly ambitious overtaking maneuver on his teammate Pierre Gasly right in the opening lap. This impulsive act not only finished Ocon’s race prematurely due to suspension damage but also endangered Gasly’s race, although he managed to continue.

The initial response from Alpine was swift and stark. Team chief Bruno Famin did not mask his disappointment over the incident. He stated to Canal+ during their broadcast, as quoted by Autohebdo.fr (translated by Google):

“It’s sad these kinds of incidents. This is exactly what we didn’t want to see. Esteban’s attack was completely out of circumstance. We’re going to decide straight away.”

Considering the race presented Alpine’s best starting grid position of the year, expectations were naturally high, and Ocon’s rash decision significantly derailed their strategy.

Given the gravity of the mistake, Famin hinted at severe disciplinary actions, which might include sidelining Ocon for the upcoming Grand Prix in Canada. Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater, has revealed:

“Famin spoke angrily. He talked about taking a tough decision which everyone has interpreted as benching Esteban Ocon for the next race in Canada. What I can say to you is that that is still a serious consideration for the Alpine boss Bruno Famin.

“He will do what is best for the team but if he decides that leaving Esteban Ocon out for a week as a demonstration of how team discipline needs to be he is prepared to do that but that decision has yet to be taken.

“There were face to face meetings between Ocon and Famin after the grand prix. Ocon apologised privately and publicly afterwards via social media. Let’s see what happens.”

Slater added:

“What it does do is to call into question whether Ocon will continue beyond next year. We all cast up the fact he was a childhood rival of the other Alpine driver Pierre Gasly and could the two happily co-exist in the same team? It’s another example of not co-existing happily.

“The other thing is, as far as most observers were concerned it was a needlessly optimistic attempt by Ocon to pass. It could have cost the team any points in the Grand Prix.”