Esteban Ocon says he is “not a guy who’s here to crash into my team-mate” ahead of the 2025 F1 season.
He has had a few well-publicised incidents during his Formula 1 career. Many would say that it is not accurate to say that the Frenchman crashes into a lot of people. He has been involved in some on-track collisions, like many drivers in the pinnacle of motorsport. However, the number of crashes or incidents he’s involved in isn’t necessarily higher than others. Although, they do tend to involve his teammate.
Due to this, debate has emerged and Ocon has found himself being asked as to why he is thought of as a man who crashes into his teammates.
In comments shared during pre-season testing in Bahrain with motorsport.com, Ocon said “I don’t know exactly why,” when asked about his reputation as being given the label as someone who crashes into his teammates regularly.
“I think things have probably been blown out of proportion at times. Yeah, there’s been some incidents, for sure, and things that I would have liked, you know… to have gone differently at times.
“But when I look back, I’ve tried my best to work well with the team and my team-mate, and I think every time we’ve achieved the goals together with what the car could have achieved – whether it’s Sergio, Daniel [Ricciardo], Fernando [Alonso] or Pierre [Gasly]. I’ve worked well with all of them, to be fair. Yes, there have been incidents that I would have liked to have been different, for sure. But over time, it’s been very little.”
Five separate collisions with Pérez on track
One of the most well-known clashes was between Ocon and his teammate at Force India, Sergio Pérez. During the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix, Ocon was fighting hard with Pérez for position, and they collided, damaging both cars. This was part of their tense relationship during their time as teammates. In fact, Ocon had five separate collisions with Pérez on track. This point was reminded to the Frenchman – yet he needed no reminding.
“They were five?” remarked Ocon. “I do remember them all, for sure. I’ve always tried to do my best in the car, I’ve always tried to get the maximum out of everything I had in my hands. It’s never a good thing to have contact with your team-mate, and that’s not something I ever want.
“But yeah, it happened a couple of times because we were racing very close, and a little bit on our own – because that first year in 2017, we were between sixth and eighth most of the time, and that was us [always] on the same row of the grid.”
The benefit of hindsight
The 28-year-old also showed some regret over some media comments and the benefit of hindsight: “Now… yeah, I’ve said things in the press that, being young and hungry, I probably wouldn’t have said now. And I have full respect for Checo, and it’s been a pleasure, really, to be his teammate.”
While Ocon does have some notable incidents, it’s essential to remember that crashes and racing incidents are part of the sport. Almost all F1 drivers experience them at some point in their careers.
Ocon’s aggressive driving style can sometimes put him in challenging situations, but calling him a driver who “crashes into lots of people” is an exaggeration. Many of these incidents can be attributed to close racing or the high-pressure environment of Formula 1 rather than an innate tendency to cause crashes.
A fiery relationship
Nevertheless, when he was teammate to Fernando Alonso, the pair had a fiery relationship that ended after two years. Upon doing so, the Spanish 2-time F1 Drivers’ Champion said he was “always fighting against one car all year”. It didn’t take a genius to read between the lines that he was referring to Ocon’s racing style.
On this point, Ocon shared his thoughts on the current Aston Martin racer and how their relationship currently stands.
“We had a few battles for sure. But yeah, out of two years we touched once, I think, and it didn’t have any consequence because we had the race of our lives the next day. We started last [the next day] and I think Fernando finished fifth and I finished [eighth] in Brazil.
“But I admire Fernando a lot. He’s always been one of the drivers that I’ve respected the most for what he’s done and for his driving skills and his ability on the track.
“For me, he’s the driver who thinks the most outside the box. And I talk to him a lot! Even now, at the [F1 75 London O2] launch, we were talking about go-karting. Because we live and breathe racing and that’s a very common point that we have together. It’s been an honor to work with such a champion – and a two-time world champion.”
A ‘bad reputation’ is subjective
Ocon has had some criticism throughout his Formula 1 career. Although whether he has ‘a bad reputation’ is subjective and depends on who you ask. Also, what Drive to Survive episodes you may have watched may also have played a part. Seeing how the Netflix show has a tendency to up the narrative.
Ocon has been known for his aggressive racing style, which sometimes leads to incidents with other drivers. Even so, he should also be recognized for his resilience. Especially after his time out of F1 in 2019. The Frenchman secured his seat at Alpine (previously Renault) in 2020 and had some solid performances. None more so than his maiden F1 victory at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. An occasion which demonstrated his ability to compete at a high level.
Sparks between Ocon and Pierre Gasly
Speaking of Drive to Survive, the Netflix show delighted in showing the sparks between Ocon and Pierre Gasly – his teammate of two years. As two boys from the same area of France who were once friends to then be bitter rivals – the headlines wrote themselves and the collisions certainly poured fuel on the fire.
“With Pierre, it’s a very long story,” Ocon smiled before continuing. “I think only we can understand where we come from and our relationship. But even Pierre himself said that we’ve kept the team together in difficult moments. And, you know, luckily we were there to save the ship sometimes. It’s been good to have moments like Brazil. Even though we have our history, that moment will always be something that we both remember as super positive.
“From where we come from, I don’t think anyone would have believed that we would be in the same team and on the podium in F1. It’s been great to experience that together.”
So, how does Ocon feel about all the social media keyboard warriors and media sites looking for clickbait headlines?
“As soon as there’s a headline, people like to jump on it,” stated the Frenchman. “But yeah, what can I say? I think, from my perspective, we did what we needed to do [with each team] and took the opportunities when they came. And we worked well together – with Pierre, with Fernando, with Daniel. We also worked well with Checo. We ticked the boxes, in the end. So that’s the most important thing.
“And I’m not a guy who’s here to crash into my team-mate. That’s bullshit. It is what people look at. And when everybody is, you know, laughing about a topic, people like to follow and jump on the same thing. But you know, with time, hopefully things will be forgotten.”
How will things fare with teammate Ollie Bearman?
The past is the past and in F1 you are only as good as your last race. So, how will things fare with teammate Ollie Bearman? Ocon now partners the British rookie at Haas and was keen to point out that even though he is the senior driver – Bearman has plenty of experience already.
“Sure, the team relies on me for my experience. And what I think about things sometimes is very important – for me to give all the feedback very early, and for us to see what we need to improve and the weaknesses of the car and the strengths of the car. And the team was very receptive.
“But, you know, Ollie [Bearman] has more experience inside the team than I do! Obviously, I’ve got the years of racing experience, but he’s come in as the most prepared rookie you can be. And that’s very good, because I’m sure we’ll push the team forward very quickly once we get to the first race, and that’s going to be important to get the maximum out of everyone.”
With some incidents being recalled which happened over 5 years ago, there has to be an opportunity to move on and allow for personal growth. Should Ocon produce an incident free 2025 F1 season, one can imagine that will go some way to change the impression people have of him.
