It was a dramatic and tense scene at the Canadian Grand Prix as Esteban Ocon and Alpine became embroiled in an awkward team orders dispute. The tension boiled over in the final laps of the race, bringing much speculation and controversy to the forefront.
In the closing stages, Alpine requested Esteban Ocon to let his teammate Pierre Gasly pass so Gasly could attempt an attack on Daniel Ricciardo. Ocon initially responded with a defiant ‘forget it’ over the team radio, only conceding the position on lap 69 of 70 after being reminded that just three laps remained. However, Ocon later told Sky F1 that he received the instructions with only ‘one-and-a-half or two laps to go,’ asserting that he has always been a ‘team player’ throughout his F1 career.
The tension between Ocon and the team was further compounded by the fact that Ocon and Alpine had already confirmed they would part ways at the end of the 2024 season. Ocon expressed his frustration, saying, ‘I’m happy for the team to be able to score with both cars, but the order should be reversed on that occasion. I got the instructions to let Pierre past one-and-a-half or two laps to go, to catch Daniel, who was two-and-a-half seconds in front and too fast for us, so the call made no sense. But you know, I’ve done my part of the job, which is being a team player. I’ve always respected the instructions that I’ve been given. It’s always been the case and I’ve never done anything different in my career. But yeah, I’ve done my part of the job, but not the team today, and it is very sad.’
Commenting on the incident, 1997 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve suggested that Ocon’s actions were deliberate. He believed Ocon made sure to let Gasly by late enough that Gasly had no real chance to overtake Ricciardo, while still appearing to be a ‘team player.’ Villeneuve stated, ‘That wasn’t good, because we heard him in his comments, ‘I was a team player, I let him by, the team was wrong’ and so on, but he made sure that he waited long enough that it was too late for Gasly to go and attack. But he still let him by to say, ‘I was a team player’. So there’s a lot of thought process going in there.’
While the future remains uncertain for Ocon, he has been linked with a potential move to Haas for the 2025 season. He remained tight-lipped about his future, saying only, ‘I will announce when the timing is right. It’s not the right moment now.’ Despite the controversy, Alpine managed to score three points in Canada, moving them ahead of Williams to P8 in the Constructors’ standings.
The Canadian Grand Prix left fans and analysts buzzing with speculation about Esteban Ocon’s intentions and the future dynamics within the Alpine team. As Ocon prepares to leave the team, the focus now shifts to where he might end up next and how Alpine will move forward without him.
Source: Planetf1
