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French F1 pundit Fred Ferret recently discussed two surprise contenders who could replace Esteban Ocon at Alpine. The two potential candidates that he mentioned were Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu and F2 driver Victor Martins.
On June 3, 2024, Alpine and Esteban Ocon confirmed that they would part ways after the 2024 F1 season. As soon as the announcement was made, several reports and rumors surfaced, discussing potential contenders who could replace the Frenchman in the Enstone-based team. Among many names, Ferret stated that Zhou Guanyu and Victor could be on Alpine's shopping list.
Zhou was a member of the Alpine driver academy from 2019 to 2021, during which he raced in Asian F3 and F2 championships. He left the academy when he was promoted to F1 with Alfa Romeo (currently Kick Sauber). Ever since joining F1, however, he has not been able to get out of the midfield and fight with top drivers and teams. The highest position he secured in the drivers' championship was 18th in the 2022 and 2023 F1 seasons.
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On the other hand, Victor Martins has been under the Alpine Academy umbrella since 2018. The French driver currently competes in the F2 championship with the ART Grand Prix team. Though he secured fifth place in the 2023 F2 championship, 2024 has been a struggle and he stands 20th after the first five rounds.
Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Ferret stated that Zhou Guanyu could replace Esteban Ocon at Alpine since Renault has strong ties with Chinese car manufacturer Geely.
"What about Zhou, who will be out of the seat and we know that Geely is very close to Renault. Geely is a car manufacturer of China that is very close to Renault car manufacturer in France. It would make sense to have a Chinese driver even if it is a French team. I think Zhou make sense alongside Pierre," Ferret said.
Though he admitted that Victor Martins has been struggling in F2, he could also be a decent contender to replace Esteban Ocon.
"We also forget that we have another Frenhc driver whose name is Victor Martins. He is not delivering well in F2, he is suffering like hell. But we can see glimpse of very good things coming up now and he was one of the favorites," he added.
Esteban Ocon wrote a heartfelt message announcing his departure from Alpine
Apart from Alpine officially announcing Esteban Ocon's departure, the French driver wrote a heartwarming message for his fans and the Enstone team. On his official X account, he initially announced that he and the team have decided to go separate ways after 2024.
"BWT Alpine F1 Team and I have agreed together to part ways at the end of the 2024 F1 season," Ocon wrote.
He later praised the team for allowing him to realize his dreams of his first podium and race win.
"The Enstone-Viry family has played a significant part in my life, dating back to my Lotus junior programme days. I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to have achieved the things I did with this team, from my first podium to my first win in Formula 1. These achievements truly were dreams come true," he added.
