Alpine F1 team confirmed Monday that Esteban Ocon has been released ahead of the final Grand Prix of the season and that Jack Doohan will make his debut in Abu Dhabi.
The team said in a statement that the lineup change will allow Ocon to take part in post-season tests with his new team Haas.
Alpine had announced in June that Ocon would leave at the end of the season after a troubled start to the year in Formula 1 for him and the French-owned team.
Doohan was promoted from the reserve driver role to become Pierre Gasly´s teammate.
Ocon was in 14th place in the driver's standings. He crashed out of the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday.
Ocon made his F1 debut in 2016 with Manor and joined the then-Renault team for 2020. His sole career win came at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021 for Alpine after a crash in wet conditions took out much of the field.
Ocon will partner Ollie Bearman.at Haas next season.
The 21-year-old Doohan, son of former motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan, was third in Formula 2 last year and has been a full-time reserve for Alpine in 2024.
Alpine said in a statement: "BWT Alpine Formula One Team announces that Reserve Driver Jack Doohan will race in the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in place of Esteban Ocon. The change allows Esteban to be released to Haas to drive in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi.
"Jack, who has already been announced as an official driver for the 2025 season alongside Pierre Gasly, will race with the #61 as his registered Reserve Driver number and will also participate in the end-of-season test for the team at the Yas Marina Circuit.
"The team would like to thank Esteban for his time at the team and he will remain part of the team’s history achieving the first win for Alpine in Formula 1. We wish Esteban the best for the future," the statement concluded.
(The Associated Press, Additional reporting by GrandPrix247)