He debuted with a backmarker staff earlier than shifting as much as a much bigger one, the place he partnered with a longtime driver – a staff chief for a number of years. Issues did not go easily. Other than a couple of disagreements over technique that led to heated radio exchanges, there have been additionally a few crashes. Nothing too surprising when a younger, bold driver joins a staff to not play a supporting position however to show himself.
Have you ever guessed the driving force’s title but? One final clue: he speaks French.
His title, in fact, is Charles Leclerc. Or did you could have another person in thoughts?
At some point earlier than his second System 1 victory – within the 2019 Italian Grand Prix – Leclerc severely aggravated not solely Sebastian Vettel but in addition his boss Mattia Binotto by refusing to offer a slipstream for his team-mate within the remaining moments of qualifying. The German then broke staff agreements in Sochi by refusing to cede the place he had gained at the beginning because of Leclerc’s tow. Later that yr, they crashed in Sao Paulo, with each sharing the blame, and some months later, the Monegasque collided together with his team-mate on the opening lap of the second Crimson Bull Ring race, inflicting each Ferraris to retire from the race.
Group-mates in System 1 should not crash into one another. Ideally, they need to at all times put the staff’s pursuits forward of their very own. However generally they do crash. They usually typically disobey, or a minimum of query, staff orders. This description of a “younger and impressive” driver might additionally apply to Max Verstappen. His defensive drive towards Daniel Ricciardo within the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was maybe over the road. The well-known crash that adopted was already their second, as Verstappen had additionally ended his team-mate’s race at Hungaroring in 2017 – destroying Ricciardo’s automobile in a very aggressive transfer on the primary lap. And bear in mind Max’s notorious “No!” in response to a staff order to let Carlos Sainz by way of in Singapore throughout his debut season?
Max Verstappen, Crimson Bull Racing RB14 and Daniel Ricciardo, Crimson Bull Racing RB14 crash
Photograph by: Sutton Photos
Neither Leclerc nor Verstappen have the popularity of being unhealthy team-mates. Charles might be too handsome to be seen as a villain, and Max… nicely, he simply wins every little thing, would not he? All joking apart, they do not have such a popularity most likely as a result of they’re simply seen as extremely aggressive people – and it is solely pure for such drivers to generally put their very own curiosity forward of the staff’s.
For Esteban Ocon, nonetheless, the picture of somebody “continually crashing into his team-mates” has change into a defining a part of his picture – particularly if you happen to ask round on social media.
You’d have to return to his time with Sergio Perez at Power India to search out the roots of this notion – and so they did have their fair proportion of run-ins.
“I do not know precisely why,” shrugs Ocon when requested about his popularity as we converse in Bahrain throughout his first pre-season check with Haas. “I believe issues have most likely been blown out of proportion at instances. Yeah, there’s been some incidents, for certain, and issues that I might have favored, you understand… to have gone in a different way at instances.
“However once I look again, I’ve tried my greatest to work nicely with the staff and my team-mate, and I believe each time we have achieved the objectives along with what the automobile might have achieved – whether or not it is Sergio, Daniel [Ricciardo], Fernando [Alonso] or Pierre [Gasly]. I’ve labored nicely with all of them, to be honest. Sure, there have been incidents that I might have favored to have been totally different, for certain. However over time, it has been little or no.”
However was it actually “little or no”?
Sergio Perez, Power India VJM10, Esteban Ocon, Power India VJM10
Photograph by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Photos
Throughout their two seasons collectively, Pérez and Ocon had 5 separate incidents on observe, although Ocon is eager to level out that these by no means affected Power India’s championship place. Given the pecking order of the period, he and his team-mate typically discovered themselves racing towards one another, with the staff nicely behind the highest three, however largely forward of the midfield.
“They had been 5?” Ocon laughs when requested about these incidents.
“I do bear in mind all of them, for certain,” he provides. “I’ve at all times tried to do my greatest within the automobile, I’ve at all times tried to get the utmost out of every little thing I had in my arms. It is by no means a great factor to have contact together with your team-mate, and that is not one thing I ever need.
“However yeah, it occurred a few instances as a result of we had been racing very shut, and slightly bit on our personal – as a result of that first yr in 2017, we had been between sixth and eighth more often than not, and that was us [always] on the identical row of the grid.
“Now… yeah, I’ve stated issues within the press that, being younger and hungry, I most likely would not have stated now. And I’ve full respect for Checo, and it has been a pleasure, actually, to be his team-mate.”
Ocon is far more cautious with the media as of late. What he might have stated, although, is that individuals appear to neglect that of these 5 clashes, primarily just one was largely his fault – the one in Baku in 2017, the place he pushed Perez into the wall popping out of Flip 3 on the primary lap.
Later that yr in Hungary, the Mexican punted Ocon’s automobile into Flip 1, and some weeks later, he twice squeezed his team-mate into the skin wall on the run to Eau Rouge. It was after that race that Ocon lashed out within the TV pen: “That is how unprofessional he’s. He is by no means achieved that with every other team-mate, and yeah, I believe I will go man to man to see him and, you understand, inform him the reality – and I am not going to be frightened of him.”
Esteban Ocon, Racing Level Power India F1 Group
Photograph by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Photos
He later posted the notorious tweet accusing Checo of making an attempt to “kill” him twice.
A yr later in Singapore, they might contact once more after the Frenchman tried to overhaul Pérez on the opening lap, solely to be pushed off the observe. “And it is Ocon once more, who’s squeezed into the wall by his team-mate,” commented David Croft dwell on Sky Sports activities because the Frenchman parked his three-wheeled automobile on the aspect of the observe. However whereas 4 out of 5 of their incidents had been largely as a consequence of Pérez being overprotective, it’s Ocon who has been left with the “unhealthy team-mate” moniker.
It most likely caught a lot later, although – maybe in the course of the time Ocon shared a storage with Fernando Alonso at Alpine. In addition they had their fair proportion of on-track motion. Bear in mind the Spaniard’s radio message after the primary lap in Hungary in 2022?
“By no means in my life have I seen a protection like Esteban’s at this time. By no means.”
But in two years, they solely touched as soon as, within the dash race in Brazil. Whereas making an attempt to overhaul Ocon on the principle straight, Alonso broken his entrance wing. “Because of our pal,” he introduced on the radio. And as their relationship got here to an finish after two years, Fernando famous in considered one of his interviews that he was “at all times preventing towards one automobile all yr”, suggesting that he wasn’t at all times pleased with the best way Ocon raced towards him.
And whereas there’s most likely some reality to that, it may be argued that the two-time world champion has by no means been shy about pushing his personal narrative by way of the media. In spite of everything, the team-mate he most likely praised essentially the most throughout his profession was Stoffel Vandoorne, as nearly each time he beat the Belgian in qualifying, he cited the total record of titles his youthful colleague had gained throughout his junior profession. Now, in response to Alonso, Lance Stroll is a future world champion, too.
Fernando Alonso, Alpine, Esteban Ocon, Alpine
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
“We had a couple of battles for certain,” says Ocon of Alonso. “However yeah, out of two years we touched as soon as, I believe, and it did not have any consequence as a result of we had the race of our lives the subsequent day. We began final [the next day] and I believe Fernando completed fifth and I completed [eighth] in Brazil.
“However I like Fernando quite a bit. He is at all times been one of many drivers that I’ve revered essentially the most for what he is achieved and for his driving expertise and his potential on the observe.
“For me, he is the driving force who thinks essentially the most outdoors the field. And I speak to him quite a bit! You realize, even now, on the [F1 75] launch, we had been speaking about go-karting. As a result of we dwell and breathe racing and that is a quite common level that we’ve got collectively. It has been an honor to work with such a champion – and a two-time world champion.”
However Ocon would not wish to get right into a disagreement, which is comprehensible given the sensitivity of the topic. Particularly now, after two years sharing the Alpine storage with Pierre Gasly – and the now-legendary Monaco crash, which left Ocon dealing with a wave of criticism on social media.
“With Pierre, it is a very lengthy story,” he smiles. “I believe solely we are able to perceive the place we come from and our relationship. However even Pierre himself stated that we have saved the staff collectively in troublesome moments. And, you understand, fortunately we had been there to save lots of the ship generally. It has been good to have moments like Brazil. Though we’ve got our historical past, that second will at all times be one thing that we each bear in mind as tremendous optimistic.
“From the place we come from, I do not assume anybody would have believed that we might be in the identical staff and on the rostrum in F1. It has been nice to expertise that collectively.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine, Pierre Gasly, Alpine
Photograph by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Photos
Given their animosity, it was nearly as if the entire world was ready for them to crash into one another. The restart crash on the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, whereas one of many central moments in Drive to Survive, did not actually add a lot to the dialogue of their relationship – it was clear that the 2 Alpine drivers simply occurred to search out one another within the chaos of the late restart. However whereas that was written off as kind of a “racing incident”, the first-lap crash in Monaco final yr – this time clearly Ocon’s fault – was met with an outpouring of criticism in the direction of the driving force with a ‘historical past of crashing into his team-mates’.
“Though Monaco occurred, it did not value the staff something,” he says now. “I raised my hand. I might have favored issues to have gone in a different way, for certain. However, yeah, we have achieved our greatest each single time. And I believe, yeah, we obtained the utmost out of the automobile, you understand, all through these two seasons.”
And whereas he will not elaborate a lot, he admits that it has been irritating to see a lot criticism on-line, particularly since not many have tried to essentially look into the so-called ‘historical past of crashing into his team-mates’.
“As quickly as there is a headline, individuals like to leap on it,” he says. “However yeah, what can I say? I believe, from my perspective, we did what we wanted to do [with each team] and took the alternatives once they got here. And we labored nicely collectively – with Pierre, with Fernando, with Daniel. We additionally labored nicely with Checo. We ticked the bins, in the long run. In order that’s an important factor. And I am not a man who’s right here to crash into my team-mate. That is bullshit.”
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Group
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Photos
“It’s what individuals have a look at. And when all people is, you understand, laughing a few subject, individuals prefer to observe and soar on the identical factor. However you understand, with time, hopefully issues will likely be forgotten.”
Ocon is the primary to confess that he loves racing onerous. In spite of everything, like each different driver in F1, he is a extremely aggressive particular person. Had he been fortunate sufficient to get a profitable automobile, this tendency to combat onerous with everybody – together with his team-mates – might have been seen as a mark of a future champion. To some extent he was seen that means throughout his Power India days. However the subsequent step up by no means got here.
On some events, he most likely wanted to be a bit extra cautious when it got here to racing a automobile of the identical colour – however on the similar time, he would not be flawed to level out that he is by no means had a simple team-mate throughout his time in F1. And with a minimum of a few of them having considerably bigger social media followings, he has most likely offered a few of these followers with causes to not like him an excessive amount of.
Both means, given the picture – justified or not – that has caught to him, Ocon most likely is aware of he cannot afford to provide individuals any extra causes so as to add to that narrative. In his new chapter with Haas, for the primary time in his profession, he would be the clearly extra skilled driver. Now, it is the man on the opposite aspect of the storage who is available in with youth and an eagerness to show himself.
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Group, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Group
Photograph by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
“Properly, I do not actually concentrate on that,” he says when requested whether or not he feels extra accountability at Haas now. “Positive, the staff depends on me for my expertise. And what I take into consideration issues generally is essential – for me to provide all of the suggestions very early, and for us to see what we have to enhance and the weaknesses of the automobile and the strengths of the automobile. And the staff was very receptive.
“However, you understand, Ollie [Bearman] has extra expertise contained in the staff than I do! Clearly, I’ve obtained the years of racing expertise, however he is are available in as essentially the most ready rookie you might be. And that is excellent, as a result of I am certain we’ll push the staff ahead in a short time as soon as we get to the primary race, and that is going to be essential to get the utmost out of everybody.”
One factor is for certain: no matter his picture, Ocon has been employed by Haas to work for the staff. His new boss and long-time pal Ayao Komatsu has praised how Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen managed to work collectively throughout their two-year stint with the staff, regardless of their very own historical past. And that is precisely what he expects from Ocon and Bearman.
For the Frenchman specifically, there might hardly be a greater alternative to show himself and dispel the popularity that has dogged him for therefore lengthy.
On this article
Oleg Karpov
System 1
Esteban Ocon
Haas F1 Group
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