"I thought Esteban Ocon was gone; I was about to cry" - Fans react as Alpine fires another senior member

F1 fans were left worried after Alpine F1 sacked their veteran operations director Rob White after the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend. The team has undergone a major management reshuffle since the 2023 Belgian GP when former team principal Otmar Szafnauer and racing director Alan Permane departed.

White was an integral part of Alpine as he had been an employee for 20 years and had been involved in the team since their comeback in 2016 as Renault. The team's spokesperson confirmed his departure and said (via the BBC):

"As part of the team's wider operational restructure, we can confirm the departure of Rob White. The team is thankful for Rob's efforts during his long career both at Enstone and at Viry-Chatillon, where he led the championship-winning engine project in 2005 and 2006. We wish him the best in his future endeavors."

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to White's exit from Alpine. One claimed that they feared Esteban Ocon was sacked from the team after his Monaco GP antics, which saw him crash into teammate Pierre Gasly.

"I thought Ocon was gone. I was about to cry," the fan said.

"Literal French Revolution happening over there," claimed another fan.

"Sell to Andretti," suggested a fan.

"What a mess this is turning into," one fan tweeted.

Here are some more reactions:

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Former F1 driver slams Esteban Ocon for Monaco GP incident, calls for Alpine F1 to drop him for Canadian GP

Former F1 driver Christian Danner stated that Alpine should bench Esteban Ocon following his collision with Pierre Gasly in Monaco. Speaking with Motorsport Magazine, Danner said that he would put reserve driver Jack Doohan in the seat for Canada.

“From that point of view, I wasn’t surprised that Bruno Famin was really angry. As the boss, I actually have to say: 'My dear friend, you’re sitting out a race and now Jack Doohan is driving. Full stop.' Then Ocon will learn. If he does it differently, just with a telling-off, then it will go in the left ear and out the right ear again.”

Danner added:

“And that’s why I think he [Famin] will have to make a stark decision after sleeping on it for two or three nights so that he finally has some peace in this matter for the rest of the year when we still have an incredible number of races ahead of us. And the only language he [Ocon] understands is: 'You’re sitting out a race.'”

Alpine team principal Famin was left fuming after Ocon's crash with Gasly in Monaco. After the race, Famin stated that there will be serious consequences regarding the whole situation.

The French driver, on his part, accepted responsibility for the collision and was apologetic about his actions to the team after the incident.