What's next for Alpine after Esteban Ocon's dismissal?

But for all his positive qualities, Ocon has never escaped the rumblings that he isn't a team player. He has fiercely battled with every one of his partners in F1, from Sergio Perez to Fernando Alonso. 

At the Monaco Grand Prix on May 26, Ocon dueled with his teammate, Pierre Gasly, so much on the first lap that he totaled his car and nearly took out Gasly's in the process.

Ocon's departure leaves a hole in the Alpine driver lineup for 2025 and beyond. With several big-name drivers on the move, who might Alpine consider to drive alongside Gasly next season?

Jack Doohan

Doohan isn't a big name to casual F1 fans, but close watchers know that he's one of Alpine's strongest junior prospects in years. (And Alpine is known for some truly strong prospects —McLaren's Oscar Piastri came up through its development program.) 

The Australian driver has impressed in Formula 2 and served as Alpine's reserve driver for several seasons. While he'd enter F1 as a rookie, he does have years of experience testing, driving and improving Alpine racecars, so he'd be intimately familiar with the ins and outs of the vehicle. He's in pole position to take Ocon's seat and partner with Gasly in 2025.

Mick Schumacher

If Alpine wants a hyped young driver who isn't a rookie, it could do a lot worse than Schumacher, son of seven-time world champion Michael. Schumacher raced for Haas in 2021 and 2022 but lost his seat after failing to get comfortable with the car. He has been a reserve driver for Mercedes ever since and hasn't been shy about his desire to get back into the sport.

Many believe Schumacher's potential is far greater than what he showed at Haas. The car (and the team) was in shambles during Schumacher's F1 stint. A short-term contract at Alpine could be just what Schumacher needs to deliver upon his immense promise.

Yuki Tsunoda

One of the greatest — and most unexpected — driver pairings in recent F1 history was Gasly and Tsunoda at Alpha Tauri. The two clicked like brothers and delivered results on the track even when their car was one of the worst on the grid. 

Tsunoda is nearing the end of his Red Bull contract and expected to jump to Audi in 2026. Audi will use Honda engines and Tsunoda is Honda's driver of choice. What could be better than reuniting Gasly and Tsunoda at Alpine for the intervening season?

The two have already proved they have excellent chemistry, and Red Bull has a ready-made replacement for Tsunoda in Liam Lawson. Fans would go wild if Alpine made it happen.

In the meantime, F1 races next at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.