Alpine in serious crisis: Who will want Ocon and Gasly in 2025?

Once upon a time, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly were destined for successful careers with a top Formula 1 team; the former with Mercedes, the other with Red Bull Racing. But in reality, they are currently hobbling along at the back of the F1 grid with their current team Alpine. Improvement in the short term seems unrealistic because their car is weak. That is certainly not good for the two French drivers, whose careers in Formula 1 are at stake.

Zero points. This is the sad proof of how bad the season is currently going for Alpine. Satisfaction is now found in the smallest of details. When Ocon got into Q2 in Japan, for example, a jubilant French driver could be heard over the team radio. On the one hand, it is understandable in a season where everything has been disappointing so far, but at the same time, it is sad that a factory team with sky-high ambitions and a large budget are already happy with this.

No interest in Ocon and Gasly?

No one expect Alpine will manage to reverse the negative spiral within weeks. It will undoubtedly take months - if not longer - for Alpine to become a factor in Formula 1. If they ever succeed at all, because how many seasons have been doom and gloom? Meanwhile, Gasly and Ocon must try to make the best of it. That is by no means easy, as such a bad car is anything but nice for morale.

Moreover, both drivers' contracts expire after the season, so their future also depends on the coming months. There is reportedly no serious interest from other teams, although Esteban Ocon might - with a lot of luck - be a candidate for Mercedes. In that case, Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull Racing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is not considered mature enough to make the switch from Formula 2, and Carlos Sainz opts for Audi.

Doohan is eager to join Alpine

At least one of the two drivers at Alpine leaving is a realistic scenario. To say that Gasly and Ocon are not friends is an understatement, though neither is driving each other off the track on a weekly basis. Still, Alpine cannot speak about a happy driver combination. Moreover, the French team has a driver on the reserve bench in whom they have invested a lot of time and money to eventually make the move to Formula 1.

Jack Doohan is a serious candidate to join Alpine in '25. Bruno Famin, Alpine's troubled team boss, said of the Australian in Japan: "First, we are very happy and proud to have Jack in the academy. I think he has been trained and he will be trained this year with quite a long testing programme. We are going to start soon because we need a car, we need a chassis to run that programme as well. And after, let's say, the drivers’ market is going to be also very dynamic. And right now, I can say that we are happy with the drivers we have, of course. But we are prepared for any scenario. And I think Jack needs to test to keep growing, to keep improving. And let's see what will be his future for us."

Alpine are busy reforming the organisation, including looking at the current drivers. The question is whether Gasly and Ocon are the best options to turn the tide and then live up to the high expectations. The answer to that question could just be 'no'. And who then is waiting for Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, two drivers experiencing the toughest season of their careers?