Ocon out at Alpine for 2025, will announce plans 'very soon'

Esteban Ocon and Alpine will part ways at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season, with Ocon promising to announce his 2025 plans "very soon".

It comes just over a week after Ocon hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in Monaco, colliding with his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly on the first lap of the race, having lunged down the inside of Gasly coming through Portier.

That ended Ocon's race despite a subsequent red flag stoppage and led to team boss Bruno Famin threatening "consequences" after the race.

A few days after the incident, Ocon took to social media to defend himself against the "abuse and negativity" he'd received following the clash.

Now one week after their clash Alpine and Ocon have announced they will part ways at the end of the current season.

This move was expected with Ocon a target of the soon-to-be-Audi works team (Sauber) and a candidate for the vacancies at Haas and Williams.

The exact timing comes as something of a surprise, though. But it is not thought to be connected to Famin's "consequences" claim.

“It’s been a significant period of my life to be racing at this team in Formula 1. While I’ve been here for five years as a full-time racing driver, my professional career started at Enstone back when I was a teenager, so it will always be a special place for me," Ocon said.

"We have had some great moments together, some tough moments as well, and I am certainly grateful to everyone at the team for these memorable times. I will announce my plans very soon but, in the meantime, my full focus is on delivering on track for this team and having a successful remainder of the season.”

Famin thanked Ocon for his "commitment to the team for the past five years" and highlighted Ocon taking his first (and so far only) grand prix victory with the team in Hungary in 2021.

"We still have 16 races to complete in 2024 together with a clear objective: to continue to work tirelessly as a team to push for the best on-track results," he continued.

"We wish Esteban the very best for the next chapter of his driving career when that moment comes.”

Alpine's statement confirms that suggestions Ocon might be stood down for Canada have been wide of the mark.

Carlos Sainz remains the key piece of the 2025 driver market puzzle, with Red Bull on the verge of recommitting to Sergio Perez and Mercedes still set on promoting Kimi Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton's replacement.

Sainz appears to be picking between Sauber and Williams for next year, with Ocon - among others including Valtteri Bottas - also in the mix for the available seats in the back half of the grid.

Gasly is also a free agent for 2025 but is expected to remain at Alpine.

The team's reserve driver Jack Doohan is among the contenders to slot in as Gasly's team-mate alongside the likes of Bottas.