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Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin was left seething by Esteban Ocon’s first-lap move on his teammate and has hinted at potential repercussions for the Frenchman.
Bruno Famin, Team Principal of Alpine F1 at the Team Principals Press Conference ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco (Image Credit: Clive Rose – Getty Images)During the Monaco Grand Prix’s opening lap, Ocon’s bold move inside Pierre Gasly at Portier caused a significant collision, ending his own race.
Ocon, who had started 11th on the grid just behind Gasly, made a sudden and unexpected move. Seeing an opportunity at the right-hand Portier corner, he swiftly manoeuvred his car down the inside of his teammate’s car.
As they rounded the corner, Gasly ran out of space on the outside and collided with Ocon’s left rear tyre. The impact sent Ocon’s car airborne, resulting in substantial landing and suspension damage, ultimately leading to his race retirement.
Soon after, red flags were displayed for a separate incident involving Sergio Perez and the two Haas drivers.
The FIA stewards investigated and held Ocon responsible for the incident, resulting in a 10-second time penalty. Since Ocon had already retired from the race, his penalty was converted to a five-place grid drop for the Canadian Grand Prix.
Famin’s take
After the incident and one car’s retirement, Famin shared his thoughts in an interview with French broadcaster Canal+.
“It’s sad to see this kind of incident,” he stated. “It’s exactly what we didn’t want to see. Esteban’s attack was totally out of circumstances.
“It was exactly what we didn’t want to see and we’re going to draw the consequences. We’re going to make a tough decision.
“If we were fighting for a podium finish at the end of the race, why not, and still… But there, on the first lap, at Le Portier, frankly, it wasn’t the place to make an attack, leaving zero room for his teammate.”
Ocon’s apologetic response
Ocon was also keen to share his thoughts on the incident that occurred while speaking to the media in a post-race interview.
“We review everything for sure, and we try and do better for the next one,” he stated.
“You have to take care but, at the same time, we are doing 120 per cent to be trying to get inside the top 10, for me, for Pierre. We saw it yesterday, we pushed to the limit a lot in qualifying. Mistakes happen. That’s it.”
Ocon clarified that his gearbox suffered the most damage, likely sidelining him from the race even if he returned to the pits. He admitted misjudging the manoeuvre on his teammate but hadn’t spoken to Famin yet.
The Frenchman also took to Twitter to apologize for the incident, admitting fault: “Today’s incident was my responsibility. I apologize to the team. Hoping for deserved points.”
Ocon’s contract with Alpine concludes at the end of the 2024 F1 season. Recently, he emphasized his ties to Mercedes amid rumours linking him to a possible seat with the Silver Arrows for the upcoming 2025 season.
Feature Image Credit: Zak Mauger/LAT Images – Getty Images
