Verstappen vs Ocon
Ocon's parents sold the family home and travelled the world with their son in a camper van. The Frenchman's father is a mechanic and quickly saw that his son was special. Ocon excelled in karting, which led to him winning a title in that class in France, before making the jump to Formula Cars in 2012. In Formula Renault 2.0, Ocon finished third in his second year and took three wins. In 2014, the Frenchman broke through.
Alongside Max Verstappen, another name stood out in the 2014 Formula 3 championship: Esteban Ocon. The two became great rivals and fought for the championship for a long time. Ocon was the eventual winner, while Verstappen could only outscore Tom Blomqvist in the final standings, finishing P3 in the championship. The Dutchman won more races, but nine wins were enough for the Frenchman to take home the title.
While Verstappen left for Formula 1, Ocon had to do a year in GP3. Ocon won that championship and, although he had no sponsors, he landed a role as a test driver at Force India. In 2016, Ocon did not opt for Formula 2, but drove in the DTM with time to also test for Mercedes and Renault. In the meantime, Mercedes announced that he had been included in their young driver programme.
Mercedes junior
The numerous investments seem to be finally paying off and in mid-2016, Esteban's dream became a reality. Rio Haryanto's money seems to have dried up and so Manor wanted a new driver. With Mercedes as the engine supplier, the deal is soon made for Ocon to join Mercedes' other protégé in the team: Pascal Wehrlein.
Wehrlein was in the Mercedes training programme for some time. This proved to be an advantage for the young Frenchman when a seat became available at Force India for 2017. Wehrlein seemed to be the better choice in terms of speed and experience, but the Force India mechanics unanimously opted for Ocon. The young French talent impressed and drove a full-time season alongside Sergio Perez in 2017.
Alongside Perez, young Ocon did not have it easy. Perez pulled every trick out of the hat and was undoubtedly the best driver in 2017. In 2018, Ocon hit back in qualifying, but Perez still beat him more often than not on Sunday. The podium in Azerbaijan showed what was possible at Force India, but it was the Mexican who walked away with the points.
Halfway through 2018, a dark cloud hung over Force India and Esteban Ocon. The team was taken over by Lawrence Stroll.
Ocon ended up without a seat after Cyril Abiteboul did not want to miss the opportunity to bring in Daniel Ricciardo. A year later, the Renault team boss made up for it, when he still has a place in the Renault F1 team for the Mercedes junior in 2020. This left Nico Hulkenberg off the grid.
In 2020, Esteban Ocon had to get used to the speed of Formula 1. He had a tough task with his teammate Ricciardo. He lost the duel between them, but managed to catch up towards the end of the season. His first podium in F1, at the Sakhir Grand Prix, was ultimately his best performance of the year.
Ocon and Alonso were a strong duo
In 2021, Ocon was up against a very experienced and motivated top driver. Fernando Alonso returned to the team with which he won two world championships and Ocon was faced with the difficult task of staying alongside the F1 veteran. Although Alonso was competitive in several races, the Frenchman did not drive in his shadow.
The highlight of his season came at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which Ocon won in a surprising fashion. He was helped by his teammate, who managed to keep all potential rivals behind him for a long time. The partnership with Alonso proved to be very successful.
Esteban Ocon in 2024
Relations between Alonso and Ocon were fractured by the Frenchman's dangerous actions on track. After receiving no support from the team, the Spaniard decided to look beyond Renault, finding a seat at Aston Martin. Gasly, was the chosen one to replace the two-time Spanish champion from '23. The former Red Bull talent in his first year at the team beat Ocon in qualifying and race duels, and in the championship. Now the ball is in the former Mercedes junior's court. Can he prove to Renault's brass that he is the man to lead Alpine back to the top of the F1 championship, or will he have to settle for being second-choice and wingman to fellow Frenchman Gasly?
