F1 legend Martin Brundle believes Esteban Ocon has destroyed any hope of replacing Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Ocon had a nightmare Monaco Grand Prix, being forced to retire after crashing into team-mate Pierre Gasly. It marked the latest chapter in their long-standing rivalry which dates back to their go-karting days, reports the Express.
And the Frenchman also has a lengthy record of contentious incidents with other drivers, which Brundle thinks makes him an unwanted prospect for the elite teams - despite being linked with the seat Hamilton is going to be vacating.
In his Sky Sports column, Brundle argued: "Ocon is a fine and fast racing driver, but history clearly demonstrates that he has an irrational red mist when it comes to racing, particularly against his team-mates.
"He has been heavily criticised before by Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso for his intra-team aggression and contact, and now Gasly too. It will cost Esteban heavily as no front running team would entertain that kind of mentality, or even perhaps any team.
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"A driver represents hundreds of hard working and professional people, and hundreds of millions of pounds of investment and sponsorship when driving for an F1 team. You simply can't keep attacking your one team-mate with abandon."
It looks like Ocon could be facing the music, with Sky Sports News reporting that he's at risk of being dropped for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix. Alpine team boss Bruno Famin was spotted talking to reserve driver Jack Doohan after his crash.
"Esteban's attack was completely out of line. It's exactly what we didn't want to see, and there will be consequences," Famin declared to Canal+. "We are going to make a tough decision. On the first lap at the Portier, it was not the place to make a move, leaving no room for his team-mate."
Ocon crashed into Pierre Gasly on the first lap in Monaco - and it's not the first time (Getty Images)Despite the incident, Gasly managed to soldier on to finish 10th, bagging his first point of the season. However, he was visibly frustrated when speaking to Sky post-race. "I'm just disappointed with Esteban because it shouldn't have happened, and for the team. We can't afford to have this sort of behaviour," he declared.
"We had clear instructions before the race and this hasn't been respected, and you should never take that much risk to take both cars out with your team-mate. I'm sure it will be discussed and we can't afford to have a similar situation in the future."
Ocon, who has been slapped with a grid penalty for his next race, initially dodged commenting on his rash manoeuvre but later expressed remorse on social media, stating: "Today's incident was my fault, the gap was too small in the end and I apologise to the team on this one. Hoping for a deserved points-finish for the team today."
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