Esteban Ocon is an important part of this year’s driver market landscape. Although he is expected to join Haas next year, other teams have shown interest in his services. Williams is one of them, with team principal James Vowles revealing that he was seriously considered.
Vowles: Williams seriously considered the Frenchman
Williams are evaluating the drivers available in the market ahead of 2025.
The British team is expected to replace Logan Sargeant, who is unlikely to race in Formula 1 next season.
With the American driver’s exit little more than a formality, the question is who will become Alex Albon’s next Williams teammate.
Several names have been mentioned as candidates for James Vowles.
Valtteri Bottas and Carlos Sainz have been the drivers most consistently linked to the Grove-based outfit.
That said, Williams were also looking at signing Esteban Ocon – as James Vowles told Autosport:
“He was definitely a consideration. I’ve known him for many years, obviously, at Mercedes…
“He’s been mighty quick. You don’t outqualify Fernando [Alonso] unless you are might. If you create the right environment around him, he can be very strong.
“So that’s why he was a consideration. I think where he is at the moment, our paths won’t cross – and I think it’s a shame, because there’s certain bits that I can see would work.
“But other bits that I just don’t think will work in the time frame we have as well.”
Ocon’s future to be confirmed soon
As reported previously on LWOS, Ocon is understood to have reached an agreement with Haas.
The American squad has confirmed that Kevin Magnussen will leave the team at the end of 2024.
This statement is almost certainly the first step to announcing their line-up for next season.
Excluding surprises, the Frenchman will be confirmed as Oliver Bearman’s next teammate.
Haas put together another reasonable showing in Hungary qualifying, barely missing out on the top 10 with Nico Hulkenberg.
Meanwhile, Alpine committed a quite catastrophic strategy blunder that eliminated both drivers in Q1.
Whilst judgements cannot be made from just one qualifying session, yesterday was a small glimpse into why Haas are a reasonable short-term destination for Ocon.
