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E-mail Xinhua, June 4, 2024
The Alpine F1 team have confirmed they will part ways with driver Esteban Ocon at the end of 2024.
Ocon joined the Enstone-based squad in 2020 when it ran under the Renault guise.
The Frenchman scored his first win with the team in 2021, when he avoided chaos at the start of that year's Hungarian Grand Prix to score a surprising but deserved victory.
Another notable drive came at last year's Monaco Grand Prix, where Ocon qualified and finished an impressive third.
However, Alpine has slipped back in competitiveness this year, with only two points from Ocon and teammate Pierre Gasly across the first eight races of 2024.
Speculation had mounted over Ocon's future over the past week after he collided with Gasly on the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, forcing himself into retirement and prompting a public rebuke from team boss Bruno Famin.
On Monday, it was confirmed that Ocon will leave Alpine when his current contract expires at the end of 2024.
"It's been a significant period of my life to be racing at this team in Formula 1," Ocon was quoted as saying.
"While I've been here for five years as a full-time racing driver, my professional career started at Enstone back when I was a teenager, so it will always be a special place for me.
"We have had some great moments together, some tough moments as well, and I am certainly grateful to everyone at the team for these memorable times.
"I will announce my plans very soon but, in the meantime, my full focus is on delivering on track for this team and having a successful remainder of the season."
In addition to his five years with the Enstone-based squad, Ocon has also had spells as an F1 race driver with Manor and Force India, and has started 141 Grands Prix, scoring 423 points.
The 27-year-old has been linked with a number of open seats for 2025, including Mercedes, who need to replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, and Haas, where there is at least one vacancy for next year, with Nico Hulkenberg off to Sauber and Kevin Magnussen's contract set to expire.
