Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has extended an invitation to Esteban Ocon for a factory visit to Enstone to say goodbye to his now-former colleagues, after his early departure to Haas.

Ocon sat out the final race of the 2024 season to be available for post-season testing for his new employers, with Alpine taking the opportunity to promote 2025 driver Jack Doohan to a race seat for the last round of this year.

Esteban Ocon receives Alpine invite after early Haas departure

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

The French driver admitted after what turned out to be his final race with Alpine in Qatar that it was “not how I wanted things to end”, issuing an apology to the team’s staff that he would not be able to say goodbye at their factories in Enstone and Viry-Chatillon.

For team principal Oakes, however, he is willing to allow his now-former driver to come and say his goodbyes – with their relationship unaffected by the manner of his early departure for Haas.

When reminded of Ocon leaving early and being told that Valtteri Bottas received a guard of honour after his last race at Sauber, Oakes replied to media including PlanetF1.com in Abu Dhabi: “Yeah, Esteban can have a guard of honour, he’s got to come by. I’m actually serious.

Read more from PlanetF1.com as the F1 2024 season concludes

👉 Liam Lawson exclusive: The exciting ‘opportunity’ of being Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate

👉 F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?

“People say that [it wasn’t ideal], but I think it’s not really right. I think at the end of the day, he had an option, he chose to start with his new team earlier. That’s fine, I’m cool with that.

“We’ve been texting, and if I’m honest he’s welcome to come to Enstone, if he’d like, like everything was planned.

“I’ve also been really honest that he’s been a big part of the team, not just in previous years, but even in my short stint.

“I have a lot of admiration for him, but I think also we have to do what’s right for us. And getting Jack in the car earlier, it’s a big advantage when we look to next year.

“And really, the teams we’re fighting, they’ve all got rookies who have a bit of experience under their belt and, for me, it may seem a little bit harsh, but that isn’t the reason at all.”

Ocon completed 119 laps around Yas Marina on Tuesday in his first outing as a Haas driver, where he will partner Oliver Bearman next season.

Read next: McLaren hit with huge FIA entry fee for F1 2025 after title drought ends