Gasly downplays opinion on Alpine teammate’s departure

Pierre Gasly was hesitant to voice his opinion on his teammate’s departure from Alpine at the end of the season, acknowledging that it “hasn’t always been easy” between himself and Esteban Ocon as childhood rivals.

Tensions between the Alpine teammates came to a climax at the Monaco Grand Prix when Ocon dove down the inside of Portier, making avoidable contact with Gasly on the opening lap. 

The incident resulted in the #31 retiring from the race during the Red Flag delay, incurring a five-place grid penalty to be served at the Canadian Grand Prix. 

“Well, I think the directives were pretty clear in Monaco,” Gasly said. 

“Unfortunately, it’s not what happened on track, but yeah, I’m pretty confident that moving forward, we won’t face any issues.”

Following the event, and a now awkward statement confirming Ocon’s commitment to the team, Alpine announced that it would be parting ways with the #31 at the end of 2024. 

When asked about his thoughts on Ocon’s departure during the Canadian Grand Prix press conference, Gasly was tight-lipped on his true emotions, admitting that he was sticking to his “lines”.

“Yeah, it’s been… I’m just taking time to think because I know how you guys are going to take every single word that comes out,” he said.

“It’s a long story between Esteban and myself, and I think so far in the last year and a half, we managed to work and cooperate very professionally, so I think this is important to mention. 

“It hasn’t always been easy, as you would imagine from two very competitive drivers. 

“But yeah, considering the story between us, I think it’s been It’s been good… so, yeah, I will say I’ll stick to these lines.”

Gasly, whose contract with Alpine expires at the end of this season, said Ocon’s departure changes “absolutely nothing” for his future, with the Frenchmen likely to stay with the Enstone-based team in 2025.

“I don’t have a deadline particularly, and I think the market at the moment is quite open and everybody is aware of what opportunities are out there,” he said.

“So, no, at the moment, I don’t want to give too much details on that. 

“I think everything is going well and are in discussions. And that’s about it.”

2024 Canadian Grand Prix Schedule:

Saturday June 8th:

FP1: 3:30 – 4:30

FP2: 7:00 – 8:00

Sunday June 9th:

FP3: 2:30 – 3:30

Qualifying: 6:00 – 7:00

Monday June 10th:

Race: 4:00

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