Esteban Ocon has denied that his impending exit from Alpine’s Formula 1 team at the end of 2024 was related to his incident with team-mate Pierre Gasly in Monaco.
Ocon was lambasted over his attempted move on Gasly on the opening lap in Monte Carlo which left him with terminal damage and handed the sister car a puncture.
Despite a stoppage enabling Gasly to return to his starting position and race to a sole point, Alpine boss Bruno Famin condemned Ocon’s actions on French television.
Reports in the French media earlier this week claimed Famin favoured Ocon being benched from the Canadian Grand Prix, but he was advised not to on legal grounds.
But while the Enstone-based squad has announced Ocon will not renew his contract, the Frenchman has rubbished the notion that Monaco has contributed to his exit.
“I’ve said pretty much everything in my statement already, but we’ve been talking with the team for several months,” Ocon told Autosport.
“And Alpine is a big group. Renault is a big group, and it’s the team that is not taking decisions on just a single race. We’ve been talking.
“We’ve agreed mutually to come to an end, basically, at the end of the contract. I’ve spent five years inside this team.
“We’ve had some amazing moments, some more tough ones, but five years in terms of the Formula 1 world is a long time, definitely.
“I’m excited for the challenge ahead and excited to finish the collaboration on a high that I’ve been part of for a long time. So excited to be here now in Canada.”
Ocon, who will take a five-place grid drop this weekend, also quashed rumours that reserve driver Jack Doohan replacing him in FP1 is being treated as a punishment.
“I’ve seen that a lot from the media, and it’s not the case at all,” he said. “As a team we have to give two FP1s for rookies. And I’m giving mine to Jack here.
“It’s a track that’s going to be green to start with, with the new tarmac, and it’s quite dirty at the moment. So, things need to be cleaned up a little bit.
“I got a five-place grid penalty as well, unfortunately for the race. So, my qualifying is a lot less important than usual. It’s more the race trim.
“And, from a team point of view, we think we are going to have probably a more competitive car later in the year.
“So, for us, you know, to do that early is a good thing, instead of doing it in Mexico, Abu Dhabi, like we usually do.”
Ocon also insisted that there would be no lingering tension within the team despite recent events, citing that he has cleared the air with Famin during the recent break.
“Before the weekend, I also had a chat with Bruno, and we were just talking about a lot of things,” he revealed.
“There’s no awkward moment. There is no damage between our relationships altogether.
“Everything has been discussed, and we move on, and we keep racing to try and do the best we can.”
