Photo: Twitter / Esteban Ocon
As Formula 1 fans, we find ourselves in that weird time of the year. A slumber where not much happens outside of teams announcing the release date for their new cars. However, we can take a look at what drivers are saying and theorize what we can expect going forward.
One driver who recently made a few statements is Esteban Ocon, who is racing for the French outfit Alpine. Renault’s Formula 1 team has enjoyed a somewhat successful 2022 season, and Ocon seems happy with his achievements as well as those of the team.
Known for his fiery attitude, the driver has even previously gone on record stating that this was his best season to date. This hints at a high level of self-confidence, which he undoubtedly worked hard for and fully deserves.
However, there is a caveat to this, as much of that confidence comes from outscoring Fernando Alonso. While that is by no means an easy feat and should be recognized, one must also take into account that the Spaniard’s season was plagued with reliability issues. We're looking forward to seeing if he can repeat the performance when matched against upcoming teammate Pierre Gasly.
Even so, Ocon has earned his right to be proud of his career so far, even scoring his first race win at the Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine during the 2021 season. With that victory in his pocket, he’s looking to make a step up, as is the entire Alpine team.
Since the young Frenchman joined the team in 2020, things have changed a lot. The Enstone-based F1 outfit rebranded from Renault to Alpine took Alonso on board and, most importantly, changed the management structure.
Alpine is now headed by former Ason-Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer, who now works under CEO Laurent Rossi and overall Renault Group chief Luca de Meo. With the Romanian-American engineer now in charge, Ocon feels the new structure is bringing out the best in him.
He was quoted by Autosport as saying, "They are giving us positive pressure. It's not the bad pressure, you need to perform otherwise it would be over. It's completely different. It's the passion of racing, of motorsport. Since Laurent, Luca and Otmar have joined, I feel definitely more relaxed and I feel good. That's why I should be super calm."
The Formula 1 driver continued by stating he is impressed with not only the state of the team but the factory as well. However, he did point out that while things look good on paper, there is a lot of work ahead of them.
Ocon believes he can with Alpine if they keep their head in the game and remain focused in the right direction. The French racing driver stated that he is doing everything in his power, working hard with the team to develop a winning car.
Whether that will come to pass is still uncertain and Ocon is aware of that fact. While reaffirming his confidence in the Enstone-based team, he did mention he does not want to have any regrets about not taking advantage of every option when his career is over.
Known for his fiery attitude, the driver has even previously gone on record stating that this was his best season to date. This hints at a high level of self-confidence, which he undoubtedly worked hard for and fully deserves.
However, there is a caveat to this, as much of that confidence comes from outscoring Fernando Alonso. While that is by no means an easy feat and should be recognized, one must also take into account that the Spaniard’s season was plagued with reliability issues. We're looking forward to seeing if he can repeat the performance when matched against upcoming teammate Pierre Gasly.
Even so, Ocon has earned his right to be proud of his career so far, even scoring his first race win at the Hungarian Grand Prix with Alpine during the 2021 season. With that victory in his pocket, he’s looking to make a step up, as is the entire Alpine team.
Since the young Frenchman joined the team in 2020, things have changed a lot. The Enstone-based F1 outfit rebranded from Renault to Alpine took Alonso on board and, most importantly, changed the management structure.
Alpine is now headed by former Ason-Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer, who now works under CEO Laurent Rossi and overall Renault Group chief Luca de Meo. With the Romanian-American engineer now in charge, Ocon feels the new structure is bringing out the best in him.
He was quoted by Autosport as saying, "They are giving us positive pressure. It's not the bad pressure, you need to perform otherwise it would be over. It's completely different. It's the passion of racing, of motorsport. Since Laurent, Luca and Otmar have joined, I feel definitely more relaxed and I feel good. That's why I should be super calm."
The Formula 1 driver continued by stating he is impressed with not only the state of the team but the factory as well. However, he did point out that while things look good on paper, there is a lot of work ahead of them.
Ocon believes he can with Alpine if they keep their head in the game and remain focused in the right direction. The French racing driver stated that he is doing everything in his power, working hard with the team to develop a winning car.
Whether that will come to pass is still uncertain and Ocon is aware of that fact. While reaffirming his confidence in the Enstone-based team, he did mention he does not want to have any regrets about not taking advantage of every option when his career is over.
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