Alpine need to find a new driver for 2025 after agreeing to part ways with Esteban Ocon at the end of the season. The team will release Ocon upon the expiry of his contract in December.
The 27-year-old has raced for them since 2020, having joined when they were still known as Renault. In that time, he’s scored three podiums, memorably winning the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.
With 423 career points to his name too, Ocon is one of the premier drivers in Formula 1’s midfield. Team principal Bruno Famin has his work cut out to recruit a replacement of a similar level.
One thing Famin will be eager to ensure is harmony within the team. There has been underlying tension between Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who had been childhood friends.
They’ve come together on track twice, first at the 2023 Australian GP and then in Monaco last time out. Their contact on the first lap ended Ocon’s race and caused significant damage to Gasly’s car.
There are multiple routes Alpine could take. They may go for the stabilising presence of a veteran like Valtteri Bottas, recruit a younger driver like Mick Schumacher or promote from within.
Jack Doohan wows Alpine in tests as he eyes Esteban Ocon replacement gig
One of the drivers in contention to succeed Ocon is Jack Doohan. The Australian turned down offers in other series to focus fully on his reserve-driver role at Enstone.
Doohan impressed during his time in Formula 2, winning six races, taking five pole positions and scoring 11 podiums. He signed off in 2023 by finishing third in the championship.
Signing him could send the right message to other young talents on Alpine’s books. It would demonstrate a clear pathway to an F1 seat.
Indeed, Doohan placed his faith in the French brand when he left the Red Bull driver academy to join them at the start of 2022. That decision could now pay off.
According to Racer, the 21-year-old has ‘impressed’ the team with his performance in private tests. This could lead to him securing an offer for 2025.
One of those tests took place at Zandvoort, the home of the Dutch Grand Prix, last month. There have been suggestions that Alpine could also put Mercedes reserve Schumacher through his paces in F1 machinery after fielding him in the World Endurance Championship.
What Doohan has said about Alpine chances
Amid the fallout from the Ocon/Gasly incident in Monaco, Famin was seen in conversation with Doohan. He’d warned Ocon that there would be ‘consequences’ for his actions, leading to speculation about a driver change for the Canadian GP.
In the end, the senior driver confirmed that he’d remain behind the wheel in Montreal. But while Doohan is likely to be restricted to free-practice outings for the remainder of the year, his opportunity could soon arrive.
He’s already stated that his singular focus is earning an Alpine drive for 2025. The team have set him multiple objectives in his behind-the-scenes work, and he feels he’s meeting them.
Journalist Tom Clarkson has applauded his commitment to his third-driver role. He apparently left Monaco to carry out simulator work at Alpine’s British base before returning to the principality the next morning on very little sleep.
Doohan admitted in Saudi Arabia that he was ‘jealous’ of former F2 rival Oliver Bearman, who deputised for an unwell Carlos Sainz. It may not be long before the two of them are racing together in F1.
The post Report: Former Red Bull academy driver has been impressing Alpine in private tests appeared first on F1 Oversteer.