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Alpine has made Esteban Ocon's early exit from its Formula 1 line-up official with a brief statement confirming that Jack Doohan will take his place for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Amid a deteriorating relationship between Ocon and Alpine and poor on-track form that Ocon kept insinuating was due to equipment disparities, his 2025 replacement Doohan is being brought in one race early.
The Race reported on Sunday night that Alpine had made stepping aside for the Abu Dhabi GP a condition of Ocon getting permission to test for Haas in the post-race Tuesday session when technically still under an Alpine contract until the end of the calendar year.
Alpine's announcement of the driver swap alluded to this being a factor, saying "the change allows Esteban to be released to Haas to drive in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi".
Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes had insisted on Sunday night that nothing was definite regarding the driver change at that stage, but made no secret of the fact it was likely and was in the process of being arranged between Alpine bosses and Ocon's management at Mercedes.
Asked if Ocon's recent form and complaints had influenced his early departure, Oakes suggested it was a factor but not the dominant one.
"You could say that’s had a part to play," he admitted.
"I think really the bigger part is sort of a natural evolution - he’s moving on, does it suit both of us to do that a bit earlier than the last round or not?
"From the other side, you could look at it that it’s advantageous to get Jack in the team, working with everybody and get those butterflies gone now rather than next year in Australia.
"Obviously as soon as Esteban announced he was off to Haas, you always have the constant sanity check of, 'What's the right solution there?'."
Alpine and Haas are battling for sixth in the 2024 constructors' championship at the finale, with Alpine now five points ahead.
Though there was an uncomfortable irony in Ocon's 2024 and 2025 employers being in such a tight and important battle, it is understood Alpine did not think there was any risk of Ocon in any way assisting Haas in that fight.
And Ocon also dismissed that possibility when asked about it earlier in the Qatar GP weekend.
"It is a bit of a strange one. But...it's respect for the people you've been working with for so many years," he said when asked about the fact he was trying to ensure his 2024 team denied his 2025 team a $10million prize money bonus.
"I'm as hungry as I was when I joined the team in 2020. That's the minimum I can do, for all these years.
"And I will give it my best, doesn't matter what car I'm driving I will always do the best to be as far up the grid as I can.
"Even if I drive for Haas next year, I'm sure Ayao [Komatsu] and the whole team will understand that I will fight them as hard as I can, for sure."
But he won't even be part of that fight when it's decided, as his five-year Renault/Alpine stint ended with the ignominy of a first-corner clash with Nico Hulkenberg and Franco Colapinto in Qatar.
