Ocon Out for Abu Dhabi - Doohan Steps In -Colapinto Next

Ocon should be sidelined by Alpine F1 for the Abu Dhabi race!!

Alpine F1 may drop Ocon for Abu Dhabi, favoring Doohan. Meanwhile, Briatore’s sights seem set on rising star Colapinto.

Esteban Ocon finds himself at the center of a rumor circulating in the Losail paddock, which gained traction immediately after the race. Alpine F1 is reportedly set to sideline the French driver and replace him with Jack Doohan for the season’s final race. Following his first-turn retirement, Ocon had little to say about his race.

“A short race for us, unfortunately. A racing incident between the three of us; we were on the outside, and we all got sandwiched on one side of the track, unfortunately, and it caused more damage than it should have,” Ocon told Canal+ before spontaneously thanking his team.

“I’d like to thank the mechanics and engineers for all their efforts, not just for this race but throughout the year, especially. It’s an important message for me because, in difficult times, we kept pushing, and I wanted to express my gratitude for that.”

These unexpected thanks, carrying a faint sense of farewell, were followed by questions about his preparation for Abu Dhabi, to which Ocon seemed noncommittal: “We’ll see… I imagine in the same way.”

He reportedly then sought refuge with Mercedes, alongside his managers Gwen Lagrue and Toto Wolff.

Team principal Oliver Oakes was questioned by Canal+ after the race and expressed surprise: “I’ve been asked this several times; you probably know something I don’t. I just came down from the pit wall. For now, no.”

However, it wouldn’t be surprising if Flavio Briatore were working behind the scenes to place Jack Doohan, a driver he manages, in the car for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Could this be preparation for the Australian’s 2025 season?

Not so fast. Rumors have circulated for weeks that Briatore is eyeing Franco Colapinto. He might see this as an opportunity for a trial run with Doohan and, if it doesn’t deliver, replace him with Colapinto for 2025.

Adding intrigue, Briatore reportedly had a one-on-one meeting with the Argentine driver over the weekend. Such a scenario would be a significant blow to Ocon after five years at Enstone—and to Doohan if he misses his F1 debut. But with Flavio Briatore, would anyone be surprised?

One final twist: Alpine F1 appears to have leveraged Ocon’s post-season test with Haas F1. Initially agreeing to release him after Abu Dhabi for testing with his new team, Briatore and Oakes reportedly gave Ocon an ultimatum—either finish the season or do the test.

Ocon’s frustration tonight is understandable.

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21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
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21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
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2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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