Esteban Ocon has received ‘hurtful & damaging abuse’ after latest F1 crash

Ocon was forced to retire instantly and widely criticised for causing the crash, which saw his car go airborne and slapped with a five-place grid penalty for the next grand prix in Canada.

Gasly and Alpine boss Bruno Famin were scathing of the Frenchmen, with the latter promising that there would be ‘consequences’, leading to speculation that Ocon would be dropped for the race in Montreal.

The 27-year-old has been criticised throughout his career for his aggressive driving and notable clashed with teammates, while it is known that he and Gasly have had a feud with goes back to their karting days.

On Friday, in a lengthy social media post, Ocon again apologised for what happened in Monaco, but also defended himself, hitting out at ‘misinformed statements, gross distortions, abuse and negativity’.

The one-time race winner began: ‘Much has been said in the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix. While I have received many messages of support, I have been deeply saddened by the amount of abuse and negativity that I have received online regarding my character, my driving, and my career.

‘Thanks to the hard work, support, and sacrifices of many people, I’ve raced in over 140 Grands Prix so far since my debut in 2016. I have always been a tough competitor, and, like most drivers, I’ve had my share of incidents.

‘I have been lucky to race alongside talented and experienced team-mates, including race winners Daniel [Ricciardo], Checo [Sergio Perez] and Pierre, and a double champion in Fernando [Alonso].

‘As teammates, we would often start races very close to each other which in some cases meant some tough battles on track, and sometimes contact.

‘Of course, I have made honest mistakes. We are not robots; we are athletes pushing ourselves to the limit every day to achieve our dreams of winning races. F1 is a sport where emotions run high, and passions run deep.

‘I see and feel this every weekend at the track and on social media… the good and the bad. But the misinformed statements and gross distortions that I have seen online in recent days about my ability to work with a team have been inaccurate, hurtful, and damaging.

‘Since my first laps in motorsport, I have approached this sport with humility, professionalism, and respect. These values were instilled in me from a very young age.

‘While each driver chases individual glory, this will always be a team sport first and foremost. I have always followed the instructions I have been given and raced to achieve the maximum for and with my team.’

‘There is no reward without risk in Formula 1 – and race starts are intense, even more so in Monaco where the opening lap can dictate your finishing result.

‘In the end, we are all competitors and hard, fair racing throughout the field is what makes our sport so great and the main reason why I love this sport so much.

‘I’m looking forward to competing in Montreal, in front of the fantastic Canadian fans, and to the exciting opportunities the future holds.’

After eight races of the 2024 season, Ocon has scored just one point for the struggling Alpine team, leaving him 16th in the standings.

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