With Esteban Ocon’s departure from Alpine confirmed for the end of the season, everyone is now focusing on Pierre Gasly and his plans for the future. At the drivers’ press conference before the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, Gasly shared his thoughts, albeit with caution.
Alpine has made one thing clear during this early phase of the silly season: Esteban Ocon is out. Pierre Gasly, whose contract is also nearing its end, responded to questions about his future by stating, ‘At the minute it’s quite clear the position I’m in. For my future at the moment, I have nothing really to announce. You guys will know in due time.’
Gasly and Ocon have always had a rocky relationship, stemming from a karting feud in their childhood. Their partnership at Alpine, which began in 2023, has been anything but smooth. Their latest on-track clash occurred at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Ocon’s bold move on the inside at Portier led to a collision. Ocon’s car was launched over Gasly’s, resulting in Ocon retiring from the race with a penalty, while Gasly finished in 10th place, scoring his first point of the 2024 season.
Gasly took the opportunity to speak about his relationship with Ocon during the pre-race press conference. ‘It’s a long story between Esteban and myself,’ he remarked. ‘I think so far, in the last year and a half, we managed to work and cooperate very professionally. This is important to mention as it hasn’t always been easy, as you would imagine, from two very competitive drivers. But considering the story between us, I think it’s been good.’
When pressed about his future, Gasly was equally elusive. Asked about the timing of any announcements, he said, ‘I don’t have a deadline particularly, and I think the market at the moment is quite open. Everybody is aware of what opportunities are out there, so no, at the moment, I don’t want to give too much detail on that. I think everything is going well in discussions, and that’s it.’
Gasly also acknowledged that Alpine is still at a disadvantage going into the Canadian Grand Prix. ‘We’re trying to rethink a bit how we want to approach these concepts,’ he explained. ‘At the minute, it’s mainly focusing on maximising what we’ve got. We’ll try our best. We know we’re fighting for a point, right at the back of the top 10, but hopefully we can be in a position to repeat the performance of Monaco.’
As the future of Alpine’s lineup remains uncertain, all eyes are on Pierre Gasly. While he continues to keep his plans close to his chest, it’s clear that there are plenty of discussions happening behind the scenes. What remains to be seen is how this will all unfold as the season progresses.
Source: Planetf1
