After Being Blamed by Bruno Famin, Esteban Ocon’s Monaco GP Penalties Double Up

The Monaco Grand Prix had an eventful lap 1 that eliminated four cars off the grid, leading to a race restart. However, Esteban Ocon, who was eliminated, was not a part of the collision that turned Sergio Perez’s single-seater into a three-wheeler. Ocon’s collision was with no one other than his teammate, as he tried to attack him, leaving no space. The FIA noted and Bruno Famin said that it was the Ocon’s fault and called for a penalty.

Alpine had one of the best starts this season at Monaco, qualifying for P10 and P11 with Pierre Gasly in the leading car. After the crash that caused a red flag, it was just moments after that Ocon tried to make an attack on his teammate at the Portier corner. While the initial decision for the #31 driver was to get a 10-second penalty, things took a more serious turn for Alpine.

A 10-second penalty for Esteban Ocon turns into a grid penalty at the Canadian GP

Monaco was not the best race for Alpine, despite winning a point from Pierre Gasly’s P10. The collision between the two teammates took place when Ocon’s rear left tire made contact with Gasly’s front tire, launching the former into the air from the rear. After landing, there was significant floor damage on the car, which was then retired from the race.

The original penalty was supposed to be a 10-second penalty; however, the team principal confirmed that even they believe it was Ocon’s fault. Due to his car being retired from the race, the FIA decided to cancel the 10-second penalty and change it into a 5-position grid penalty at the Canadian GP.

When the incident took place, Famin stated, “I believe that Esteban Ocon’s attack was completely out of circumstances; that’s exactly what we didn’t want to see. We will draw the consequences. We will decide in sightings.”

The team principal explained, “In the first round at Le Portier, it was not the place to attempt an attack, leaving no room for your teammate.” It is to be noted that from P11, there was a chance that there could have been more points for the team if they had both drivers in.

Ultimately, none of the rankings in the top 10 changed from the end of the qualifiers, and all the cars that scored points maintained their positions perfectly since the starting grid. After being retired from the race, Ocon took to social media to talk about the incident and dropped a message for his teammate.

Esteban Ocon’s apology for the Monaco collision

Once Bruno Famin concluded that it was Ocon’s fault, the driver accepted his mistake. He did not even wait till the end of the race to make a public apology, as he stated on his social media, “Today’s incident was my fault; the gap was too small in the end, and I apologize to the team on this one.”

Knowing that he almost ruined the race for his teammate, he added, “Hoping for a deserved points-finish for the team today.” He noted the damages caused after landing the aircraft and said, “The gearbox was the biggest damage and we would have been able to come back and be in P11 [without it].”

After referencing an event from the Budapest race in 2023, he explained the condition of his car, saying, “The back is okay, but it is just an unfortunate incident, and it is not good to be retiring the car.” With this, not only did Ocon deny himself a chance to collect any points in this race, but he also almost ruined his teammate’s race.

That being said, do you think a 5-place grid penalty is justified for Esteban Ocon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.