Ocon sees difference between Perez and Alonso: 'Knows when to stop'

The arrival of Alonso

On his return to Formula 1 in 2020, Ocon struggled against Daniel Ricciardo. When the latter announced his departure to McLaren, it meant the arrival of Fernando Alonso. Ocon was warned in the paddock by many people that Alonso is annoying to have as a teammate, but asked if that is so, Ocon denied it.

"No, definitely not," said Ocon in the Beyond the Grid podcast. "I got told that by a lot of people in the paddock. 'Be careful, Fernando is tough on his teammates and plays mind games, but I thought 'let's see'. I want to make my own judgment. When he joined I realised we have a lot in common," said the Frenchman.

"We both love racing more than anyone else and he is proving it by what he does. He's won two titles, won the most prestigious races in the world, is coming back to F1 and is still as fast as he was. Everything he does is about racing and that goes for me too. And you can laugh with him too, he's a funny guy."

Thinking back to Perez

Still, things don't always go smoothly. For example, the two had a tense duel in Saudi Arabia and at times they came perhaps a little too close to each other on the track. For many, this was a feeling of déjà vu, as Ocon had such a duel before at Force India with Sergio Perez. With Alonso, however, according to Ocon, it is a different story.

"Very different. With Checo it was close, but we didn't complete the races. Then it was just too close. With Alonso we know how far we can push it," concluded Ocon who also indicates he fully trusts Alonso in the duels because the two-time world champion knows when to stop.