Esteban Ocon

Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane[1] (born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who competes for Alpine in Formula One, racing under the French flag. He made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. Ocon was a part of the Mercedes driver development programme until his move to Renault.[3] In 2020, he achieved his first podium in Formula One by finishing second at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon
BornEsteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane[1]
(1996-09-17) 17 September 1996
Évreux, France
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality French
2021 teamAlpine-Renault[2]
Car number31
Entries67 (67 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points198
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry2016 Belgian Grand Prix
Last entry2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2020 position12th (62 pts)
Previous series
2016
2015
2014
201213
2013
2012
DTM
GP3 Series
European Formula 3 Championship
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps
Championship titles
2015
2014
GP3 Series
European Formula 3 Championship
WebsiteOfficial website

Early life

Esteban Ocon was born in Évreux, Normandy to Sabrine Khelfane and Laurent Ocon, a mechanic who owns a garage in Évreux.[1] He is of Algerian and Spanish descent as his paternal family is originally from Málaga.[4]

Early career

2006–2011: Karting

Ocon entered karting in 2006, when he finished eighth in the French Minime Championship,[5] subsequently winning the championship in the following year.[6] His success continued in 2008, as he won the French Cadet Championship.[7] On the back of that victory, Ocon began the first of his three seasons in the KF3 kart category. He would ultimately win the French KF3 title and finish as runner-up in the WSK Euro Series in 2011, his final season before stepping up to cars.[8]

At the age of 14, Ocon was signed by Gravity Sports management, a sister company of Renault F1 team.[9]

2012–2014: Formula Renault

In 2012, Ocon made his debut in single-seaters, taking part in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with Koiranen Motorsport.[10] He finished fourteenth with four point-scoring finishes, including being on the podium at his home round at Le Castellet.[8] He also contested a partial campaign in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps with Koiranen,[11] finishing seventh with two podiums, both of which came at the Red Bull Ring.

For 2013, he decided to switch to the ART Junior Team.[12] He took three podiums, as well as his first victory at Le Castellet, and finished the season in third.[13]

Ocon joined the World Series in Renault's 3.5 category for Comtec Racing at the Hungaroring and Le Castellet, scoring two points in his first race.[14]

2014–2015: Formula Three, GP3 and DTM

Esteban Ocon in F3 – Hockenheimring 2014

Ocon made his Formula Three debut at the Macau Grand Prix, racing for Prema Powerteam.[15] In 2014 he expanded his collaboration with Prema into the FIA European Formula Three Championship.[16] He was on top of the standings since the first round at Silverstone and won the championship with a round to spare.[17]

On 11 March 2015, it was announced that Ocon would move to FIA Formula 3 European Championship rival GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix. He claimed the championship despite only scoring one victory (two other victories were denied due to penalties) and pressure from Luca Ghiotto.

Ocon drove for Mercedes-Benz in the first 10 races of the 2016 DTM season, alongside his reserve driver role at Renault Sport F1. He was subsequently replaced by Felix Rosenqvist, following his promotion to Manor.

Formula One career

Ocon driving the Mercedes W07 Hybrid

Ocon's first experience of a Formula One car was on 22 October 2014, driving the Lotus E20 as part of a two-day test for Lotus F1.[18] A month later, he made his Grand Prix weekend debut for Lotus during the first practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[19]

In May 2015, Ocon was called up by Force India to drive at the post-race test in Barcelona, after Pascal Wehrlein was forced to withdraw due to illness.[20] Prior to him claiming the GP3 title, it was announced that Ocon would enter the Mercedes Junior Team. In February 2016, it was announced that Ocon would also act as reserve driver for the Renault Sport F1 team for the 2016 season.[21] He took part in four FP1 sessions for the team.

Manor (2016)

Ocon driving for Manor at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.

On 10 August 2016, Rio Haryanto was dropped from the backmarker Manor Racing team after his sponsors had failed to meet their contractual obligations. Ocon was named as his replacement for the second half of the season, driving alongside Pascal Wehrlein.[22][23] Ocon made his Formula One debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 16th. He earned his best result of 12th in the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix, dropping out of the points on the final lap.

2017

Ocon driving for Force India at the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix

On 10 November 2016, Force India announced that they had signed Ocon for the 2017 season as part of his multi-year contract with Mercedes, with Sergio Pérez as his new teammate.[24] Ocon scored his first Formula One point in his first race for Force India in Australia.[25] He finished 10th in the first three races of the season. He then finished 7th at the Russian GP, and continued the points streak with a 5th place at the Spanish GP. He stood at 8th in the drivers' championship following the Austrian Grand Prix. Following that, he recorded 8th place in front of his teammate. He followed up with 9th in Hungary. In Belgium, Ocon was involved in a controversial collision with teammate Pérez, ending Pérez's race. His streak of finishing 27 consecutive races ended at the Brazilian Grand Prix where he had an accident with Romain Grosjean after they collided on the first lap of the race. He finished his first full season with 87 points and 8th in the championship after an 8th-place finish in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

2018

Ocon continued alongside Pérez at Force India for 2018, in a season that saw numerous incidents between the two teammates. Ocon's first points of the season came with a 10th-place finish in Bahrain. In Azerbaijan, he was involved in a first-lap collision with Kimi Räikkönen that ended his race. Teammate Pérez would go on to claim a podium finish. Ocon retired with an oil leak at the next race in Spain. He then recorded 6th and 9th place finishes in Monaco and Canada respectively, but then retired from his home race in France after a first-lap collision. Three more points finishes followed before the summer break.

By the summer break, Force India was in severe financial trouble and faced a winding-up order from HMRC. A group of creditors including teammate Pérez took legal action against the team and put it into administration, saving the team from collapse and the jobs of its employees. The assets of the team were purchased by a consortium of investors led by Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll, father of Williams driver Lance Stroll. Some suspected that Lance Stroll would now soon join Racing Point Force India, replacing Ocon due to Pérez's role in saving the team. However, the new team confirmed that Ocon and Pérez would continue with them for the rest of the season. It was later revealed that Ocon had an "informal agreement" to join Renault for 2019 before the team made a shock signing in Daniel Ricciardo, now leaving Ocon's future in doubt.[26]

At the new team's first race in Belgium, Ocon produced excellent drives to qualify 3rd and finish 6th, the best starting position of his career. Another 6th place followed in Italy. In Singapore, Ocon and Pérez collided on the first lap, causing Ocon to crash into a wall and ending his race. The team described the collision as "unacceptable" and banned the drivers from racing each other. Pérez apologised for his role in the accident.[27] Two 9th places followed, before Ocon was disqualified from 8th place at the United States Grand Prix after his car was found to have exceeded fuel flow limits.

At the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, Ocon hit race leader Max Verstappen while trying to unlap himself, damaging both cars. Both drivers were able to continue racing,[28] and Ocon received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the incident.[29] They argued just after the race (which Verstappen finished in second place) and Verstappen and Ocon pushed each other several times.[30] Both drivers were summoned by the FIA and Verstappen was given two days of public service "at the discretion of the FIA" for making deliberate physical contact with Ocon.[31]

Ocon finished the season in 12th place in the championship with 49 points.

Mercedes reserve driver (2019)

On 23 November 2018, it was announced that Ocon would join Mercedes as their reserve driver for 2019 after it became clear that he would be replaced at Racing Point by Lance Stroll—an outcome that was finally confirmed a week later.[32][33] Ocon would not take part in a Grand Prix weekend during the year. He was a contender to take the second Mercedes seat alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2020, however the team decided to continue with Valtteri Bottas.

Renault (2020)

Ocon raced for Renault starting in 2020, on a two-year contract. His Renault debut marked his return to Formula One as a full-time driver. He replaced Nico Hülkenberg, and partnered with Daniel Ricciardo.[34]

In his first race with the team, the Austrian Grand Prix, he qualified 14th, but finished 8th after 6 retirements ahead of him. At the following round, the Styrian Grand Prix, he qualified 5th, but lost a position to Alexander Albon at the start. He was later overtaken by Ricciardo for 7th. However, he retired on lap 26 due to a problem. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, he qualified 14th and finished in the same position. At the British Grand Prix he qualified in the top 10 and finished in 6th after the cars of Carlos Sainz and Valtteri Bottas suffered punctures. At the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix he qualified 12th, but, Ocon received a 3 place-grid penalty for impeding George Russell. He started 15th and finished 8th. At the Spanish Grand Prix, he qualified 14th and finished 13th. For the Belgian Grand Prix, it was a very emotional weekend for him, as the previous year he suffered the death of his friend Anthoine Hubert at the circuit. He qualified 6th and finished 5th just behind Ricciardo. At the Italian Grand Prix, he was running with an alternative strategy after starting 12th but finished 8th after red flags were shown on lap 26 due to an accident involving Charles Leclerc. At the Tuscan Grand Prix, he made it to Q3, but did not set a time due to a spin. In the race, he retired on lap 7 due to a brake problem. At the Russian Grand Prix he finished 7th after qualifying 9th. At the Eifel Grand Prix, he qualified 6th, but retired on lap 22 due to a hydraulics problem. At the Portuguese Grand Prix he started 8th and finished 9th. In the next race, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix he qualified 11th, but retired on lap 29 due to a clutch problem. At the Turkish Grand Prix he qualified 7th in wet qualifying, but after a small contact at the start with Lewis Hamilton, a spin and a puncture, he finished 11th. At the Bahrain Grand Prix, he qualified 7th, and finished 9th. During an interview, he stated that an incident on the first lap, involving Romain Grosjean was really shocking and scary. At the next race, the Sakhir Grand Prix he qualified 11th, but due to a good strategy, and Mercedes' problems with pit-stops, he finished 2nd, scoring first Formula One podium, 10 seconds behind his former teammate Sergio Pérez. At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix he qualified 11th, and finished 9th after passing Lance Stroll on the final lap.

Alpine (2021)

Renault rebranded as Alpine F1 Team in 2021, with Ocon being partnered by Fernando Alonso, as Daniel Ricciardo moved to McLaren.[35][36]

Racing record

Career summary

Season Series Team Races Wins Poles FLaps Podiums Points Position
2012 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Koiranen Motorsport 14 0 0 0 1 31 14th
Formula Renault 2.0 Alps 9 0 0 1 2 69 7th
2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 ART Junior Team 14 2 1 1 5 159 3rd
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 8 1 0 1 3 122 12th
Macau Grand Prix Prema Powerteam 2 0 0 0 0 N/A 10th
2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship Prema Powerteam 33 9 15 7 21 478 1st
Formula Renault 3.5 Series Comtec Racing 3 0 0 0 0 2 23rd
2015 GP3 Series ART Grand Prix 18 1 3 5 14 253 1st
2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters Mercedes-Benz DTM Team ART 10 0 0 0 0 2 26th
Formula One Manor Racing MRT 9 0 0 0 0 0 23rd
2017 Formula One Sahara Force India F1 Team 20 0 0 0 0 87 8th
2018 Formula One Sahara Force India F1 Team 12 0 0 0 0 49 12th
Racing Point Force India F1 Team 9 0 0 0 0
2020 Formula One Renault DP World F1 Team 17 0 0 0 1 62 12th
2021 Formula One Alpine F1 Team -

* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 DC Points
2014 Prema Powerteam SIL
1

2
SIL
2

1
SIL
3

3
HOC
1

9
HOC
2

1
HOC
3

2
PAU
1

1
PAU
2

2
PAU
3

2
HUN
1

2
HUN
2

1
HUN
3

1
SPA
1

Ret
SPA
2

2
SPA
3

2
NOR
1

2
NOR
2

14
NOR
3

2
MSC
1

1
MSC
2

1
MSC
3

1
RBR
1

13
RBR
2

Ret
RBR
3

13
NÜR
1

6
NÜR
2

3
NÜR
3

Ret
IMO
1

1
IMO
2

4
IMO
3

3
HOC
1

7
HOC
2

4
HOC
3

7
1st 478

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Pos Points
2014 Comtec Racing MNZ
1
MNZ
2
ALC
1
ALC
2
MON
1
SPA
1
SPA
2
MSC
1
MSC
2
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
HUN
1

9
HUN
2

DNS
LEC
1

14
LEC
2

12
JER
1
JER
2
23rd 2

Complete GP3 Series results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points
2015 ART Grand Prix CAT
FEA

1
CAT
SPR

7
RBR
FEA

3
RBR
SPR

DSQ
SIL
FEA

6
SIL
SPR

2
HUN
FEA

2
HUN
SPR

2
SPA
FEA

2
SPA
SPR

2
MNZ
FEA

2
MNZ
SPR

2
SOC
FEA

2
SOC
SPR

2
BHR
FEA

3
BHR
SPR

2
YMC
FEA

4
YMC
SPR

3
1st 253

Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points
2016 Mercedes-Benz DTM Team ART Mercedes-AMG C63 DTM HOC
1

Ret
HOC
2

Ret
SPL
1

20
SPL
2

18
LAU
1

23
LAU
2

15
NOR
1

Ret
NOR
2

13
ZAN
1

9
ZAN
2

18
MSC
1
MSC
2
NÜR
1
NÜR
2
HUN
1
HUN
2
HOC
1
HOC
2
26th 2

Complete Formula One results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicates fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 WDC Points
2014 Lotus F1 Team Lotus E22 Renault Energy F12014 1.6 V6 t AUS MAL BHR CHN ESP MON CAN AUT GBR GER HUN BEL ITA SIN JPN RUS USA BRA ABU
TD
   
2016 Renault Sport F1 Team Renault R.S.16 Renault R.E.16 1.6 V6 t AUS BHR CHN RUS ESP
TD
MON CAN EUR AUT GBR
TD
HUN
TD
GER
TD
23rd 0
Manor Racing MRT Manor MRT05 Mercedes PU106C Hybrid 1.6 V6 t BEL
16
ITA
18
SIN
18
MAL
16
JPN
21
USA
18
MEX
21
BRA
12
ABU
13
2017 Sahara Force India F1 Team Force India VJM10 Mercedes M08 EQ Power+ 1.6 V6 t AUS
10
CHN
10
BHR
10
RUS
7
ESP
5
MON
12
CAN
6
AZE
6
AUT
8
GBR
8
HUN
9
BEL
9
ITA
6
SIN
10
MAL
10
JPN
6
USA
6
MEX
5
BRA
Ret
ABU
8
8th 87
2018 Sahara Force India F1 Team Force India VJM11 Mercedes M09 EQ Power+ 1.6 V6 t AUS
12
BHR
10
CHN
11
AZE
Ret
ESP
Ret
MON
6
CAN
9
FRA
Ret
AUT
6
GBR
7
GER
8
HUN
13
12th 49
Racing Point Force India F1 Team BEL
6
ITA
6
SIN
Ret
RUS
9
JPN
9
USA
DSQ
MEX
11
BRA
14
ABU
Ret
2020 Renault DP World F1 Team Renault R.S.20 Renault E-Tech 20 1.6 V6 t AUT
8
STY
Ret
HUN
14
GBR
6
70A
8
ESP
13
BEL
5
ITA
8
TUS
Ret
RUS
7
EIF
Ret
POR
8
EMI
Ret
TUR
11
BHR
9
SKH
2
ABU
9
12th 62 ]
2021 Alpine F1 Team Alpine A521 TBA BHR EMI TBA ESP MON AZE CAN FRA AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA RUS SIN JPN USA MXC SAP AUS SAU ABU

* Season still in progress.

Formula One records

Ocon holds the following Formula One records:

Record Achieved
Most consecutive finishes from start of career 27 Grands Prix 2016 Belgian Grand Prix2017 Mexican Grand Prix [37]

References

  1. "Registre du Commerce du Canton de Genève". ge.ch (in French). Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  2. "Ocon to replace Hulkenberg at Renault". motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. 29 August 2019. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  3. "Renault 'very clear' Ocon deal is no Mercedes loan". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  4. "Esteban Ocon, la vie en pole". Seine-Saint-Denis – Le magazine. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  5. "Championnat de France – Minime 2006". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  6. "Championnat de France – Minime 2007". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  7. "Championnat de France – Cadet 2008". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  8. Musker, Ant (4 October 2013). "Lotus's one to watch: Esteban Ocon". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  9. "Esteban Ocon". Motor Sport Magazine. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  10. "Ocon e Pakari pronti per il debutto" [Ocon and Pacari ready for debut]. ItaliaRacing.net (in Italian). Inpagina. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2011.
  11. "F.Renault 2.0 ALPS synonimous (sic) of quality with top team and drivers ready to roll in 2012 season". Renaultsport Italia. Fast Lane Promotion. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  12. "Lotus F1 Junior Team drivers announced". GPUpdate.net. JHED Media BV. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  13. Musker, Ant (29 September 2013). "Ocon takes first Eurocup victory in frantic race two". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  14. Simmons, Marcus (8 September 2014). "Lotus F1 junior, European F3 leader Esteban Ocon makes FR3.5 debut". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  15. Simmons, Marcus (15 October 2013). "Lotus Formula 1 protege Esteban Ocon gets Prema Macau Formula 3 seat". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
  16. Vendrell, Arnau Viñals (19 October 2013). "Esteban Ocon in F3 with Prema Powerteam for 2014". formularapida.net. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2013.
  17. Khorounzhiy, Valentin (18 October 2014). "Verstappen claims ninth win as Ocon is crowned champion". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  18. "Esteban Ocon completes Lotus F1 test". motorsport.com. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  19. "2014 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Practice 1". formula1.com. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  20. "Ocon to get Force India test outing on Wednesday". formula1.com. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  21. Parkes, Ian (2 February 2016). "Esteban Ocon set to get Renault Formula 1 reserve role for 2016". Autosport. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  22. Barretto, Lawrence (10 August 2016). "Manor F1 team replaces Rio Haryanto with Esteban Ocon". autosport.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  23. Morlidge, Matt (10 August 2016). "Esteban Ocon steps up to replace Rio Haryanto at Manor". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  24. "Force India signs Ocon on multi-year deal". motorsport.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  25. "Force India scores top-10 double at F1 opener in Australia". Autoweek. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  26. "Singapore GP: Toto Wolff criticises Renault over Esteban Ocon U-turn". bbc.co.uk. 14 September 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  27. "Force India slam 'unacceptable' Sergio Perez-Esteban Ocon crash". skysports.com. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  28. Mitchell, Scott (11 November 2018). "Brazilian GP: Hamilton wins after Ocon spins Verstappen". motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  29. "Ocon penalised for Verstappen clash". pitpass.com. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  30. "Verstappen and Ocon in war of words over race-defining Interlagos clash". formula1.com. 11 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  31. Freeman, Glenn (11 November 2018). "Verstappen gets "public service" punishment for Ocon shoves". motorsport.com. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
  32. Noble, Jonathan; Beer, Matt (23 November 2018). "Esteban Ocon gets 2019 Mercedes F1 reserve driver role". autosport.com. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
  33. "Formula 1 in 2019: Lance Stroll joins Force India". skysports.com. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  34. "Ocon to replace Hulkenberg at Renault". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  35. "Fernando Alonso to make sensational return to F1 with Renault in 2021". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  36. "McLaren Racing - Daniel Ricciardo to drive for McLaren from 2021". www.mclaren.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
  37. Thorn, Dan (10 October 2017). "Esteban Ocon Can't Stop Finishing Races". WTF1. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Raffaele Marciello
European Formula 3
Champion

2014
Succeeded by
Felix Rosenqvist
Preceded by
Alex Lynn
GP3 Series
Champion

2015
Succeeded by
Charles Leclerc

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.