PARIS – The F1 team Alpine announced on Monday that Esteban Ocon has been released just before the last Grand Prix of the season, allowing Jack Doohan to make his debut in Abu Dhabi.

In their official statement, Alpine noted that this change in the lineup would enable Ocon to participate in post-season testing with his new team, Haas.

Earlier in June, Alpine revealed that Ocon would depart the team at the end of the season after experiencing a difficult start to the year in Formula 1, both for himself and the French-based team.

Jack Doohan, previously in the reserve driver position, is stepping up to partner Pierre Gasly for the upcoming race.

Currently, Ocon finds himself in 14th place in the driver’s standings and recently experienced a crash during the Qatar Grand Prix held on Sunday.

Ocon began his Formula 1 career in 2016 with Manor and became part of the Renault team in 2020. His only career victory came in 2021 at the Hungarian Grand Prix while racing for Alpine, an event marked by a crash in wet conditions that significantly impacted the race.

Next season, Ocon is set to team up with Ollie Bearman at Haas.

Jack Doohan, the 21-year-old son of former motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, previously secured third place in Formula 2 last year and has been a full-time reserve driver for Alpine in 2024.