Jul.19 (GMM) Esteban Ocon has renewed his criticism of Alpine, because it emerges he even needed to depart the group earlier than the 2024 season is even full.
Amid on and off-track conflicts together with his fellow French teammate Pierre Gasly this yr and behind-the-scenes bother with group bosses, Ocon and Alpine introduced at first of June that they’ll half methods for 2025.
Nevertheless, it’s now rising on the scene of the Hungarian GP that Ocon, 27, really visited Williams’ group headquarters lately for a seat becoming.
Blick newspaper, and its veteran F1 journalist Roger Benoit, say the plan was for Ocon to instantly change the struggling Logan Sargeant at Williams – to assist the group meet up with Alpine within the constructors’ standings.
Unsurprisingly, Alpine wouldn’t conform to launch Ocon from his 2024 contract, however Benoit thinks a Williams seat for the Frenchman after the summer season break stays a chance.
So in gentle of that growth, Ocon insisted that a whole lot of Alpine’s issues this yr was as a result of the group refused to take heed to the drivers “for years” about enhance efficiency.
“There are a whole lot of issues that weren’t accomplished as they need to have been,” he stated in Budapest. “We (drivers) all stated issues in regards to the growth of the automotive. A variety of the issues had been there a number of years in the past.”
In the meantime, regardless of his new hyperlinks with Williams, Ocon is definitely totally anticipated to maneuver to Haas subsequent yr, changing long-time group driver Kevin Magnussen.
Haas boss Ayao Komatsu stated: “I take nothing away from all of the contributions and improbable enter Kevin has given to the group to get it to the place we at the moment are. What was missing was consistency. That was the most important issue.”
The Japanese admits that signing rookie Oliver Bearman for 2025 was an element within the determination, with Haas anticipated to announce the Ocon information shortly.
“When you take a look at Nico (Hulkenberg) and Kevin, in terms of offering a constant reference, I want a driver nearer to Nico’s consistency,” Komatsu stated.
“However the distinction between Kevin and Nico could be very small,” he insisted. “The outcomes and the variety of factors could look fairly completely different ultimately, however the decisive issue for the distinction just isn’t nice.
“So it was troublesome determination to make concerning Kevin.”
