Ocon to split with Alpine at the end of the season

Esteban Ocon is to time off Alpine astatine nan extremity of nan twelvemonth aft 5 seasons pinch nan French team.

The move comes successful nan aftermath of Ocon angering squad main Bruno Famin by crashing pinch team-mate Pierre Gasly connected nan first thigh of nan Monaco Grand Prix.

Ocon said: “We person had immoderate awesome moments together, immoderate reliable moments arsenic well, and I americium grateful to everyone astatine nan squad for these memorable times.”

Famin said: “We person celebrated immoderate awesome moments together.

“We still person 16 races to complete successful 2024 together pinch a clear objective: to proceed to activity tirelessly arsenic a squad to push for nan champion on-track results.

Alpine and Ocon represented their divided arsenic a communal determination successful a associated statement, saying nan move had been “agreed together”.

Famin said connected French tv aft nan Monaco title that location would beryllium “consequences” for nan collision.

And while it would beryllium inaccurate to opportunity that it was nan nonstop origin of nan divided betwixt squad and driver that has been announced 8 days later, because nan brace person been discussing their early for months, nan Monaco incident did efficaciously finalise a guidance of recreation that was already set.

Ocon joined nan squad successful 2020 erstwhile they were known by nan sanction of genitor institution Renault and scored 1 triumph successful Hungary successful 2021 successful summation to 2 further podium finishes during his clip there.

But nan Frenchman's enactment astatine Alpine has been marked by intermittent tensions pinch his team-mates - first pinch Fernando Alonso done 2021-22 and much precocious since Gasly joined nan squad for 2023.

The French pairing are erstwhile puerility friends who had a falling retired immoderate years ago, and some admit they will ne'er beryllium adjacent again.

Famin was peculiarly upset by nan incident successful Monaco because nan drivers had been many times told passim nan play that whoever qualified successful beforehand would beryllium fixed privilege and nan different would beryllium expected to assistance their title successful immoderate measurement possible.

But aft Gasly qualified 10th and Ocon 11th, Ocon went for a move down nan wrong of Portier connected nan opening thigh and nan brace collided connected nan exit, starring to Ocon’s retirement.

F1 stewards recovered Ocon blameworthy of causing a collision and handed him a five-place grid punishment for this weekend’s title successful Canada.

Ocon said he would denote wherever he would beryllium driving successful 2025 “very soon”.

The 27-year-old is managed by Mercedes but is not successful nan moving for a move there, contempt nan spot near vacant by Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari adjacent season.

He is expected to extremity up astatine 1 of Sauber, wherever he is down Carlos Sainz connected nan wish-list of nan squad that will go Audi successful 2026, Haas aliases Williams.