Esteban Ocon will not be completing a switch across to Williams in 2025, despite boss James Vowles revealing the Alpine driver conducted a visit to the team’s base.
Williams is assessing the candidates on the driver market to replace the under-pressure Logan Sargeant, who has endured a challenging time in his sophomore term.
Vowles has stated that outgoing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz is his main target and a deal appeared to be edging closer until Alpine entered the mix in Spain last month.
With Sainz adamant he’ll not be rushed into an outcome, Vowles has insisted Williams won’t risk missing out on alternative choices as it awaits the Spaniard’s choice.
But while Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas has been touted as the leading contender should Sainz head elsewhere, Vowles has revealed that Ocon had also been in contention.
Ocon will depart Alpine once the campaign concludes, and Vowles has disclosed that the Frenchman attended the Grove-based squad’s headquarters in recent times.
“Esteban came in for, not a real seat fit, but I wanted to evaluate him for 2025 and 2026,” Vowles told Autosport.
“I needed to do that because I need to actually ascertain whether he fit in the car or not.
“Because he’s, as is Alex, a tall chap, but his dimensions are a bit difficult in certain dimensions.
“Everything we are doing at the moment is – just to clarify that one – for ’25 and beyond on drivers, nothing else. He was definitely a consideration.
“I’ve known him for many years, obviously, at Mercedes, [he] fell under myself and Toto [Wolff] and Gwen’s [Lagrue] management and looked after him.”
Nevertheless, Vowles is convinced that Ocon’s exploits next to Fernando Alonso between 2021 and 2022 at Alpine prove how strong he can be in the correct setting.
“He’s been mighty quick,” he continued. “You don’t outqualify Fernando unless you are mighty.
“If you create the right environment around him, he can be very strong. So that’s why he was a consideration.”
However, Ocon will not be taking up a seat at Williams alongside Alex Albon and instead looks poised to head to Haas amid Kevin Magnussen’s exit being announced.
“I think where he is at the moment our paths won’t cross and I think it’s a shame because there’s certain bits that I can see would work,” he explained.
“But other bits that I just don’t think will work in the time frame we have as well. But what I can say is I’m confident he will have a very successful future in Formula 1.”
