Alpine boss reportedly ‘considering’ benching Esteban Ocon for Canadian GP over reckless Monaco GP crash with Pierre Gasly

Esteban Ocon was forced to retire on lap 1 of the Monaco GP after colliding with Pierre Gasly.

Alpine boss reportedly ‘considering’ benching Esteban Ocon for Canadian GP over reckless Monaco GP crash with Pierre Gasly

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly (via: IMAGO)

Alpine F1 racing driver, Esteban Ocon was involved in a reckless incident with teammate, Pierre Gasly during the first lap of the recent Monaco Grand Prix. The former tried to overtake his teammate in turn eight, which led to his retirement from the race due to damage to the A524.

Esteban Ocon started the race from P11 on Sunday after getting knocked out in Q2, and Pierre Gasly managed a P10 starting position. During the first lap, Ocon tried to gain an advantage over Gasly by trying to dive on the inside just before the infamous Monaco tunnel. This made Gasly turn in on Ocon after being unable to find enough space, it ultimately caused a collision between the two, damaging Ocon’s car in the process.

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The move by the 27-year-old put the entire race for the Alpine team in jeopardy, as it is not deemed proper to dive on your teammate this early on in the race, with so little of a gap. Pierre Gasly appeared furious after such a move, but thankfully, he managed to keep his car going with no major problems.

We are going to make a tough decision. On the first lap at the Portier, it was not the place to make a move, leaving no room for his team-mate.
Alpine Boss Bruno Famin said to CanalTV+.

According to a report by SkySports, Ocon is now being ‘seriously considered’ to be dropped for the Canadian Grand Prix by Alpine Boss, Bruno Famin. Currently, Alpine is struggling to score points and will need the cooperation of its drivers to turn the season around.

Mick Schumacher is on Alpine’s list for the 2025 season

Mercedes reserve driver, Mick Schumacher is believed to be one of the candidates for an active return to the grid with the Alpine F1 team for 2025. Schumacher earlier raced for the Haas in the 2021 and 2022 season.

Bruno Famin and Mick Schumacher
Bruno Famin and Mick Schumacher (via IMAGO)
I’m very impressed with him because he adapted his attitude to the long-distance races from day one. He has a very good relationship with his teammates. Everything is open for 2025, everyone talks to everyone. It would be a mistake not to have Mick on the list.
Alpine Boss Bruno Famin spoke to SkyGermany.

Mick Schumacher is set to compete in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine for the hypercar category in Winter. The German driver showed pace and promise last year when he tested the prototype hypercar which impressed the crew in Alpine as well as Famin.

In light of Esteban Ocon’s recent crash, Alpine is rumored to be discussing a replacement for the French driver in the coming season. Furthermore, with the contracts of both Alpine drivers expiring at the end of the 2024 season, a return to F1 might be probable for Schumacher. The next few days could be key in the whole Ocon Monaco saga!

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