Esteban Ocon

Biography of F1 driver Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon has consistently embraced challenges since entering the Formula 1 scene with Manor in 2016.

Even during his promising karting days, his family made significant sacrifices by selling their house and temporarily pausing their jobs to support his racing career. They lived in a caravan, traveling from one circuit to another.

This determination is evident in Ocon's Formula 1 journey, where the French driver has fought to maintain his position on the grid. Explore all the essential details about Esteban Ocon.

Ocon's early career

In 2006, Ocon initiated his karting journey, securing an eighth-place finish in the French Minime Championship. The subsequent year witnessed him clinching the championship. Further triumphs followed as he claimed the French Cadet Championship in 2008 and the French KF3 title in 2011, concluding his karting career before transitioning to car racing.

In 2012, Ocon made his foray into single-seaters, competing in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 and securing a third-place finish the following season. His accomplishments soared as he secured victory in the FIA European Formula 3 Championship with Prema in 2014 and clinched the GP3 Series title with ART Grand Prix in the subsequent year.

While serving as a reserve driver for Renault in 2016, Ocon also participated in the first 10 races of the 2016 DTM season with Mercedes-Benz. His tenure with Manor in Formula 1 commenced thereafter.

Start of F1 career with Mercedes and Manor

Ocon's first experience with an F1 car came in October 2014, when he took part in a two-day test for Lotus. His performance resulted in the team giving him a Grand Prix weekend debut with a run in the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix a month later.

Prior to winning the GP3 title, it was announced that Ocon had become a Mercedes Junior Driver, while in February 2016 he became the reserve driver for Renault.

Having taken part in four Friday practice sessions for the team, Ocon joined Manor Racing after they dropped Rio Haryanto due to his sponsors failing to meet their contractual obligations.

The Frenchman drove alongside Pascal Wehrlein for the remainder of the season, making his debut at the Belgian Grand Prix and finishing 16th. His best result came in Brazil, when he finished 12th after falling out of the points on the final lap.

Move to Force India

Ocon signed for Force India in November 2016, partnering Sergio Perez for the 2017 F1 season. It didn't take long for Ocon to score his first points for the team, finishing 10th in Australia. He added another two 10th-place finishes at the following couple of races, before improving to seventh in Russia and fifth in Spain.

That particular streak ended in Monaco, but Ocon started a new one that saw him score points at 12 consecutive races. However, his performances were somewhat overshadowed by his growing rivalry with teammate Perez, as the two were often involved in incidents on-track.

At the Canadian Grand Prix, Perez ignored Racing Point team orders to let Ocon past in an attempt to challenge Daniel Ricciardo for third spot. As a result, Perez and Ocon eventually finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Things went to another level at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the two drivers collided, with Perez retiring from the race and Ocon suffering a puncture. Ocon was able to continue and finished sixth.

The two once again came together at the Belgian Grand Prix as Ocon was squeezed into the wall leading up to Eau Rouge. Just like in Azerbaijan, Perez retired while the Frenchman continued to finish ninth. This prompted team owner Vijay Mallya to come out and state that team orders would be enforced.

Ocon started the Italian Grand Prix from third place, his highest grid position to date, after both Red Bull drivers were handed penalties. He eventually finished sixth, while he came home fifth in Mexico despite spending much of the race in third. Ocon's streak of 27 consecutive finishes ended at the Brazilian Grand Prix after colliding with Romain Grosjean on the first lap of the race.

In the end, Ocon finished his first full F1 season eighth in the Drivers' Championship on 87 points.

Drama on and off the track

Force India continued with the same driver pairing for the 2018 F1 season, with Ocon scoring his first points after finishing 10th in Bahrain. It would be his only points finish in the first five races.

While the Frenchman managed to finish in the top 10 at the three races before the summer break, Force India's future was thrown into doubt after the Hungarian Grand Prix as they faced liquidation by HM Revenue and Customs.

The team was saved, however, as a group of creditors, including Perez, took legal action and put them into administration, thus saving the outfit from collapse along with the jobs of their employees.

The team were purchased by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll, father of the then Williams driver Lance Stroll. Now going by the name Racing Point Force India, Ocon started third in Belgium and finished the race sixth.

However, the rivalry between Perez and Ocon reappeared in Singapore, as the two collided on the first lap, sending the Frenchman crashing into the wall and out of the race. The team banned the two from racing one another after what they considered an "unacceptable" collision.

After both cars were disqualified from the United States Grand Prix for exceeding fuel flow limits, Ocon was involved in more controversy in Brazil. He collided with race leader Max Verstappen as he attempted to unlap himself. The Dutchman eventually finished second, while Ocon was handed a 10-second penalty for his role in the incident.

Verstappen went on to approach Ocon in person after the race and was seen to push him, resulting in the Red Bull driver being summoned by the FIA and ordered to take part in two days of public service for making physical contact with Ocon.

Ocon failed to finish the final race of the season, ending the campaign in 12th position with 49 points.

Racing Point departure, Mercedes reserve

In the 2019 F1 season, Racing Point enlisted Stroll to team up with Perez, prompting Ocon to join Mercedes as their reserve driver.

Throughout that year, Ocon did not participate in any Grand Prix weekends. Despite Mercedes not securing him a full-time seat for the subsequent season, the Frenchman marked his comeback to the grid in 2020 with Renault.

Move to Renault

Ocon signed a two-year contract with Renault and joined them for the 2020 F1 season, taking Nico Hulkenberg's seat alongside Daniel Ricciardo.

Ocon finished eighth on his debut in Austria, but he was forced to retire from the Styrian Grand Prix with cooling issues, despite qualifying fifth and running in seventh.

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Ocon secured his best finish since 2017 after coming home in fifth spot behind teammate Ricciardo. He qualified seventh for the Turkish Grand Prix and found himself third by the first corner, but disaster struck as he spun after colliding with Ricciardo. That sent Ocon to the back before being spun around by Valtteri Bottas. In the end, he had to settle for an 11th-place finish.

Although Ocon qualified 11th for the Sakhir Grand Prix, he found himself in fifth by Lap 54 of 87. The Frenchman moved up to third during the Virtual Safety Car period and, while he was overtaken by Perez, pit-stop issues for both Mercedes cars opened the door for Ocon to finish second and claim his first F1 podium, and Renault's best result since 2010.

Ocon finished the season 12th in the Drivers' Championship with 62 points. He remained with the team for the 2021 season, with Renault rebranded as Alpine, while Ricciardo left for McLaren. He was replaced by two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.

First victory in F1 with Alpine

Ocon's 2021 campaign got off to a rocky start at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where he qualified down in 16th and was then hit in the rear by Sebastian Vettel during the latter stages of the race. Vettel later apologised for the incident.

The Frenchman scored his first points of the season at the following race in Imola, and went on a streak of consecutive points finishes for the next few rounds.

In the middle of June, it was announced that Ocon had signed a new multi-year contract with Alpine, which would see him stay with the outfit until 2024. However, he coincidentally suffered a dip in form after this, failing to score any points during the triple-header spanning France, Styria and Austria.

Ocon's fortunes changed dramatically at the Hungarian Grand Prix, though. After a chaotic opening lap saw several cars ahead either eliminated or left with damage due to a first-corner incident, Ocon was able to surge through from eighth on the grid to go up to second.

He then took the lead of the race when Lewis Hamilton pitted for dry tyres one lap later than the rest of the field. The Alpine driver was able to stay at the front for the rest of the event, despite some pressure from Vettel behind in second, and subsequently claimed his first victory in Formula 1.

Ocon later thanked the team for sticking by him, as well as praising teammate Alonso for his defensive driving, which helped to keep the chasing Hamilton from catching Ocon in the lead.

Whilst he was unable to match this result again in the remainder of the season, Ocon still managed to score points at all but three of the last 11 races.

He finished the year in 11th place in the World Championship standings with 74 points to his name, narrowly beaten by Alonso in 10th with 81 points. Alpine also secured fifth in the Constructors' Championship.

No repeat of win in 2022

Ocon faced challenges in replicating his previous successes with Alpine and securing a podium under the 'new era' regulations introduced in 2022.

The dynamic between Ocon and Alonso was strained, evident in their on-track clashes on multiple occasions.

The tensions reached a peak in Brazil when they collided during the Sprint race, compromising both their prospects for a strong start in the Grand Prix.

Despite the conflict, they still managed to secure fourth place in the Constructors' Championship for Alpine.

What can Ocon and Alpine achieve in 2023?

In 2023, Ocon will go into his sixth full season as an F1 driver, and his fourth with the Alpine outfit.

He will be paired with fellow Frenchman Pierre Gasly, whom he had a rivalry with during his years in go-karts.

Gasly insists that both have moved on from their feud, saying that they are both "more mature now" compared to then. But given Ocon's previous history between Perez and Alonso, will that be one of the main storylines in 2024?