Taking focus away from the McLaren vs Ferrari battle for the Constructors’ title, there are other storylines in play too for the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Haas and Alpine, for instance, will go at each other in hopes of making P6 in the standings, their own.
By finishing fifth in Qatar last weekend, Pierre Gasly boosted Alpine’s chances of sealing that spot. The Enstone-based team increased their haul to 59 points, five more than Haas. That, however, came to the detriment of Haas and its employees, as explained by reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi.
“Everybody gets bonuses so everybody’s motivated for us to finish in sixth and it was tough today,” he said on the F1 Nation Podcast. “We executed very well with Kevin [Magnussen] but that safety car just came out at the wrong time and then boom, [Pierre] Gasly finished P5 so it’s gonna be tough going into Abu Dhabi,” he added.
Magnussen had finished P9 in Qatar, earning just two points compared to Gasly’s 10. If the Frenchman and Alpine manage to maintain their advantage in the final round, the bonuses that Haas’ workers were counting on may slip away.
In F1, a single jump in the standings can translate to tens of millions of dollars in prize money. For Haas employees, bonus clauses tied to the team’s performance add even more at stake—finishing P7 could mean missing out. This sets the stage for an all-out battle at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Esteban Ocon will be trying to help Haas in Abu Dhabi
In an ideal world, current Alpine driver Esteban Ocon would be lining up alongside Gasly, trying to take Haas down. However, with the French squad letting go of him with one race remaining, Ocon would likely shift his focus to helping his new side—Haas.
Jack Doohan, who was expected to replace Ocon from 2025 onwards will drive in Abu Dhabi instead. And while Ocon may not be able to suit up for Haas to try and battle the Alpine cars, he will be working closely with the Kannapolis-based outfit that weekend.
a sad way for Ocon to finish his stint with Alpine pic.twitter.com/FnKRNDyQtg
— WTF1 (@wtf1official) December 1, 2024
Alpine reportedly presented Ocon with a choice: race for them one last time in Abu Dhabi or participate in the post-season test for Haas. Ocon opted for the latter, prioritizing his transition to the VF-24. He will now run the car after the Grand Prix to help Haas integrate him seamlessly into their plans for next year.
