Esteban Ocon is finally welcome at Alpine for his farewell
The Frenchman would have carte blanche to come say a final farewell to the Alpine employees. This is despite the termination of his contract and his non-participation in the final Grand Prix of the season.
You have to expect anything with Alpine. The team thanked Esteban Ocon even before the end of the season so he could drive with Haas during the test day in Abu Dhabi. Following the controversy sparked, the team boss Oliver Oakes had stated: « We are not here to be nice. »
A few days later, the latter backtracked and finally proposed to the Frenchman to come to the factory to properly say his goodbyes. « Esteban can receive a guard of honor if he wishes. He must come, I’m really serious », assured the Briton.
« He is welcome at Enstone »
« People say he was treated harshly, but I don’t think that’s really fair. I think ultimately, he had a choice. He chose to start earlier with his new team. That’s fine. I don’t mind. »
We exchanged text messages, and I was honest, he is welcome at Enstone, as everything was planned. I was also very honest about the fact that he played an important role in the team, not only in previous years but also during my short stint.
Esteban Ocon had to thank his fans and team employees through a statement on social media. Some, present in Abu Dhabi, had the opportunity to take a final souvenir photo with him.
