Esteban Ocon is treading a very fine line in F1. His reported lack of teamwork and consistently brewing enmity with his teammates is ruining his reputation. The unwarranted Monaco GP overtake attempt on Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly seemed to be the last straw for the Enstone outfit. After his sudden exit, no other F1 team seems to want to employ him for 2025.

The French driver has a history of not getting along with his teammates. During his 2-year Force India stint (2017-2018) alongside Sergio Perez, the harmoniously begun relationship kept degrading. Crashes in Azerbaijan, Hungary, and Belgium forced the team to ban the duo from racing against each other in 2017. The 2018 Singapore GP saw another collision between them – the final before Ocon left the team, having no seat for 2019.

When he returned to Renault in 2020, there wasn’t much of a tiff with Daniel Ricciardo. But when Fernando Alonso replaced the McLaren-bound Aussie in 2021, the intra-team hostility returned. Incidents in Jeddah, Brazil, and other moments of unnecessary on-track conflict derailed this partnership too. Sky Sports presenter Martin Brundle reckons Ocon’s short-term vision of fighting for points instead of playing the long team game is repelling employers from seeking his talent.

“Ocon is a great driver,” Brundle told Sky Sports, as quoted by formule1.nl. “But history shows us that he can act quite irrationally in a race, especially when fighting with his teammates. Former teammates Sergio Pérez and Fernando Alonso have already accused him of driving aggressively and seeking too much contact. Now Pierre Gasly is doing the same.”

“The top teams will not tolerate that kind of behavior,” the Briton elaborated. “He doesn’t stand a chance. Maybe there aren’t even any teams waiting for him. A driver represents hundreds of people and hundreds of millions in investment money. Then you can’t just attack your teammate.”

Only one quality is stopping Ocon from driving for a front-running team. As predictions go, even backmarker teams are interested in signing him for next year. But Alpine now have a spot to fill and multiple options on the shortlist.

Esteban Ocon’s exit puts 2025 Alpine seat in the spotlight

Alpine’s vision two years ago was to be fighting for podiums. The Enstone outfit finished P4 in 2022 to undergo a full decline to be the second slowest team in 2024. Still, their reserve driver, Jack Doohan, and Mercedes reserve Mick Schumacher would give everything up for an F1 seat, even if it means rotting in P20.

Schumacher already has 2 years of F1 experience with Haas, however sour it was. Alpine Team Principal Bruno Famin has also expressed his desire to sign the German driver, who also races for their WEC team. Doohan, meanwhile, is already an integral part of the French team’s F1 efforts.

With this duo already in line, the current Sauber drivers are looking for a seat as well. If Esteban Ocon beats Valtteri Bottas to the Haas seat, the Finnish driver could compete for a swap to grab the Alpine drive. The silly season is officially in overdrive. Let us know your predictions in the comments below.