Martin Brundle’s warning to Esteban Ocon with Canada axe under ‘serious consideration’
Esteban Ocon has signed with Haas for 2025
As the “irrational red mist” blinded Esteban Ocon, his actions may have also blinded any “front-running team”, ie. Mercedes, from signing the French driver for 2025.
Ocon was lambasted by Alpine team boss Bruno Famin after the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix when he made an ill-judged lunge on his team-mate Pierre Gasly.
Martin Brundle: You simply can’t keep attacking your team-mate with abandon
Lunging up the inside of his compatriot into Portier on lap 1, Ocon’s A524 was lifted into the air before landing hard.
So hard that even the red flag for the Sergio Perez/Kevin Magnussen crash did not leave Alpine with enough time to make the necessary repairs with Ocon out of the race.
Famin, speaking to Canal+, threatened “consequences” with the team boss spotted later in the day in conversation with Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan.
According to Sky Sports’ Craig Slater, dropping Ocon for the next race in Canada is a “serious consideration” for the Enstone-based team.
But Canada, says former F1 driver turned pundit Brundle, may be the least of Ocon’s worries.
More on Esteban Ocon’s potential Monaco GP consequences
👉Esteban Ocon benching ‘under serious consideration’ by Alpine after Monaco crash – report
👉Ted Kravitz reveals Alpine boss chat with reserve driver after Esteban Ocon ‘consequences’ threat
“The opening lap provided several good reminders of how fiercely competitive and desperate the battle is in the second half of the grid,” he wrote in his latest Sky Sports column.
“Further round in Portier corner just before the tunnel, literally just before the red flag was unfurled, Esteban Ocon lunged up the inside of his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly and they made heavy contact.
“Ocon would be eliminated from any further proceedings with too much damage, but Gasly would finish in tenth place to score a point for the team.
“Ocon is a fine and fast racing driver, but history clearly demonstrates that he has an irrational red mist when it comes to racing, particularly against his team-mates.
“He has been heavily criticised before by Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso for his intra-team aggression and contact, and now Gasly too. It will cost Esteban heavily as no front-running team would entertain that kind of mentality, or even perhaps any team.
“A driver represents hundreds of hard-working and professional people, and hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and sponsorship when driving for an F1 team. You simply can’t keep attacking your one team-mate with abandon.”
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