Alpine has announced that Esteban Ocon will not renew his contract with the team and will depart at the end of the 2024 Formula 1 season.
Ocon returned to the Enstone-based squad as a full-time driver in 2020 and ended the campaign with his first podium in the series at the inaugural Sakhir Grand Prix.
The Frenchman took his maiden win in Hungary upon its rebrand to Alpine in 2021 and helped the marque climb to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship in 2022.
But despite Ocon logging another podium in Monaco last season, the Anglo-French marque regressed to sixth place and that spiral has continued into this campaign.
Alpine has undergone an extensive restructuring behind the scenes to counter a disastrous start to the season that has brought two points in the opening eight races.
Prior to the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Alpine has now revealed that the Renault-owned operation’s long-standing relationship with Ocon will not be extended.
“It’s been a significant period of my life to be racing at this team in Formula 1,” Ocon said.
“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.
“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.”
Ocon’s current team-mate Pierre Gasly also retains a deal that is up for renewal and Alpine has stated that the team’s 2025 line-up will be “announced in due course”.
“We would like to firstly thank Esteban for his commitment to the team for the past five years,” Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin added.
“During his time, we have celebrated some fantastic moments together, the best of which coming at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with a memorable race win.
“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.
“We wish Esteban the very best for the next chapter of his driving career when that moment comes.”
