Famin wanted to suspend Ocon over F1 collision in Monaco – report – Motorsport Week

Alpine boss Bruno Famin wanted to suspend Esteban Ocon because of his collision with teammate Pierre Gasly at the Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix, reported L’Équipe.

Ocon was heavily criticised by his own team in Monte Carlo for nearly ruining the prospects of both drivers with his ambitious attempt to overtake Gasly on the first lap.

The Alpine drivers were both in the back of the points when Ocon passed Gasly on the inside and into Portier and there was a scuffle between the two at the exit of the corner.

Gasly suffered a front right tyre puncture as a result of the impact, which caused Ocon’s A524 to be thrown into the air and his car to crash into the ground, causing irreparable damage.

However, a red flag to investigate a rear-end incident involving Sergio Perez and the Haas cars spared Alpine and allowed Gasly to resume the race in tenth place.

But even though he ended his dry spell at the start of the season with a points finish, Gasly was furious that Ocon had risked jeopardising both drivers’ races.

The Frenchman stressed that Ocon had defied an earlier agreement made by the team, while an angry Famin stressed on French television that action would be taken.

Famin’s comments were interpreted in some quarters to mean that Ocon’s penalty could even include a ban for an entire race weekend.

According to French media outlet L’Équipe, Famin intended to enforce such a measure and use reserve driver Jack Doohan as his replacement at the Canadian Grand Prix.

However, the report goes on to say that such a decision would have to be “approved by the Normande manufacturer’s lawyers” to avoid litigation.

Alpine reportedly wanted to avoid a similar scenario to when it tried to prevent Oscar Piastri from agreeing to a move to McLaren in mid-2022.

However, the Contract Recognition Board ultimately agreed that the agreement between the Australian and the Enstone-based team was invalid.

Alpine responded to this setback by hiring experienced lawyer Caroline McGrory to ensure that such contractual loopholes were not exploited again within the team.

L’Équipe said Alpine’s revamped legal team had advised bosses to scale back their plans because of the risk that Ocon might have turned up in Montreal with a bailiff.

The French newspaper added that Ocon could “see the withdrawal of his right to work and demand that he exercise his rights and therefore get into his single-seater.”

Ocon will therefore arrive in Canada this weekend to take part in a race as usual, but will have to sit out the five-place grid penalty imposed on him by the race directors in Monaco.

With the Anglo-French brand still struggling to extract competitiveness from its 2024 package, it will be even more difficult for Ocon to add to his only point this season.

The Mercedes-backed driver also faces numerous questions about his future after Alpine announced it would leave his post in 2025.

Despite his close ties to the Mercedes club, Ocon is unlikely to be considered as Lewis Hamilton’s successor at Mercedes next season, not even with a fixed term agreement.

Instead, the former Manor and Force India driver is said to have held talks with Haas about replacing Nico Hülkenberg or Kevin Magnussen, who are moving to Sauber.

However, Ocon could also become Hülkenberg’s partner if Carlos Sainz, the Hinwil camp’s biggest candidate, decides to reject the Audi project and switch to Williams instead.

Ocon is considered another candidate for the place alongside Alex Albon in the British team, as Logan Sargeant will almost certainly lose his place at the end of 2024.