Was Esteban Ocon dropped by Alpine amidst questions of “which team is he playing for?” That’s a conspiracy theory shared by Sky F1’s Naomi Schiff.

Ocon crashed out of Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix, punted into retirement by the Haas of Nico Hulkenberg, and as he made his way back to the paddock a rumour emerged claiming that was the end of his Alpine career.

Esteban Ocon out, Jack Doohan in for Abu Dhabi

He threw fuel on that fire when he spoke with the media, including PlanetF1.com, saying: “I would like to thank the team for their hard work over this race and their hard work over the whole year.

“When it’s going well, it’s good to stick together. But when it’s not going so well the engineers and the mechanics stick together and that’s the most important thing.”

Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes confirmed that discussions were taking place but that no definite answer had been made. But 12 hours later the team announced that Ocon was out and that Jack Doohan would be in the A524 for the season finale.

Ocon’s early exit means he can now join his 2025 team Haas for the post-season Abu Dhabi test with reports claiming Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore would only allow him to do so if he stepped down ahead of Abu Dhabi.

There is, however, another conspiracy theory doing the rounds as to why Ocon and Alpine said a premature goodbye.

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Speaking about Ocon’s exit, Schiff said on Sky F1: “I think it’s a risky decision.

“I mean, firstly, for Esteban it’s a shame. I know it seems like it’s a mutual decision, but to end your time at Alpine by missing the last race together, that’s a bit of a shame.

“But at the same time, I don’t know, conspiracy theorists might say, ‘Well, there’s five points between Hass and Alpine, which team is he playing for?’ I am not the one who said it. It’s just a conspiracy theory.”

She also went on to question the decision to put Doohan in the car given he has no experience and Alpine are a mere five points ahead of Haas in the fight for sixth in the Constructors’ Championship.

“But no, look I think it’s a risky decision,” she continued. “Jack, obviously they trusted him. They’re bringing him next year, but he’s never raced in a Formula One race, so with only a five-point gap with Magnusson and Hulkenberg, both very experienced drivers in the seats of those pretty quick Haas, we shall see.”

Her fellow pundit Jenson Button agrees it’s not nice for Ocon but unlike Schiff, he reckons this is a great opportunity for Alpine to give Doohan some F1 experience.

“It’s not a nice situation for a driver to be taken out before the end of the season, but he’s got his priorities,” the 2009 World Champion said of Ocon. “He wants to get into the Haas before the end of the year so I totally get it.

“I also think it’s the right decision if you don’t have enough of the upgraded parts. If Pierre has the upgraded front end, and it’s making that much more of a difference, you might as well put the guy that will be in the car for next year to get a bit of experience wheel-to-wheel in a Formula One car, even though his pace won’t be there.”

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