Esteban Ocon off Williams’ shortlist amid concerns of ‘not being a team player’

Esteban Ocon is not on Williams’ shortlist to partner Alex Albon for the 2025 F1 season.

According to a report by Motorsport-total, Williams boss James Vowles has concerns over Ocon being a “team player” and thus are exploring alternative options.

Ocon has been in the headlines over the past few days following his collision with Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly on the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Ocon attempted an ambitious overtake into Portier, colliding with Gasly in the process.

While Gasly was able to continue and pick up his first point of the year, Ocon’s actions irked team boss Bruno Famin.

Famin suggested there could be serious “consequences” for Ocon, hinting he could be put on the sidelines for the Canadian Grand Prix.

24 hours later, a report from Sky Sports News reporter Craig Slater claimed that Alpine are seriously considering dropping Ocon for Canada.

Nothing has transpired yet with Ocon’s future at the French manufacturer unclear.

Ocon has been linked with Haas, Sauber/Audi and Williams over the past few weeks.

However, it appears Williams and Vowles aren’t sold on Ocon’s ability to work within a team environment.

During his time in F1, while all of the incidents haven’t necessarily been his fault, he’s had a tendency to have incidents with his teammates.

He had a number of run-ins with Sergio Perez at Force India, and similarly with Fernando Alonso at Alpine.

The clash with Gasly wasn’t their first, with the former Red Bull driver punting both drivers out of the race at the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.

Ocon’s ability to be a team player - or how he’s perceived - might impact his chances of being on the grid in 2025.

Particularly when you compare him to someone like Valtteri Bottas, who has demonstrated over the years that he’s happy to put the team first - or his teammate.