Alpine team principal addresses concerns of Esteban Ocon being disadvantaged within the team

Alpine team principal Bruno Famin recently assured fans that his team will equally support Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly. The statement was made after Ocon's departure from the team at the end of the 2024 season was confirmed.

On June 3, the French driver and team announced that they would part ways after the 2024 F1 season. This opened up the driver market even more as rumors began to do rounds about who could replace Ocon at Alpine and which team would he join in the future.

Along with that, several debates sparked up about whether Alpine would start giving Gasly more preference in races now that Ocon is leaving.

In an interview with Motorsport.com, Bruno Famin addressed concerns about how Esteban Ocon would be treated at Alpine after his exit announcement. He said Alpine will not sideline Ocon and the 27-year-old will be treated equally with Pierre Gasly. Famin added that both the French drivers are on the same level in terms of performance.

"The team is everyone: drivers, mechanics, engineers, everyone has to do their bit to get the best possible result for the team. And the driver is part of the team, and we are not going to put Esteban aside at all. He will have exactly the same conditions as Pierre. They are at the same level, at the same status. We know they are very close in terms of performance and it wouldn't be good to do something different for either of them," Famin said.

He clarified that although the two drivers are fighting for their respective F1 careers, Alpine will always prioritize their overall performance.

"They are fighting for their own result, their career. But at Alpine, it's very clear: there is only one objective, and that is the interest of the team above all else," Famin added.

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Esteban Ocon unhappy with Alpine's team orders in Canada

Esteban Ocon talked about the orders he received from Alpine to let Pierre Gasly pass him at the 2024 F1 Canadian GP on Sunday. During the latter stages of the race, both the drivers were running in points positions when the team asked Ocon to let Gasly by so that he could chase Daniel Ricciardo who was in P8.

Though the team later said the decision was made because Ocon's car had an ERS issue, the Frenchman felt that the decision to swap cars made no sense.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Esteban Ocon said (via F1.com):

"I’m happy for the team to be able to score with both cars, but the order should be reversed on that occasion. I got the instructions to let Pierre past one and a half lap or two laps to go, to catch Daniel who was two and a half seconds in front and too fast for us, so the call made nonsense. But I’ve done my part of the job, which is being a team player."

"I’ve always respected the instruction that I’ve been given, it’s always been the case and I’ve never done anything different in my career. I’ve done my part of the job but not the team today, and it is very sad," he added.

After the Canadian GP, Esteban Ocon stands in 17th place with two points in the drivers' championship table. On the other hand, Pierre Gasly is up in 15th with three points.