Ocon “is that kind of character”

In a little over a month, we will have the opportunity to see the teams' new single-seaters during pre-season testing in Bahrain, but also the work of the drivers who have changed teams. We will thus be able to see the highly anticipated Lewis Hamilton in his Ferrari, Carlos Sainz in the new Williams and especially Esteban Ocon in the Haas.

The Frenchman left Alpine, the team with which he had been racing since 2020, to join the American structure. He will join the young Oliver Bearman and his new race engineer, Laura Müller, recently promoted.

Ocon has already completed a few days of driving with Haas and we have already seen him dressed in his red, white and black suit. However, this does not take away from the desire of fans, particularly French ones, to see the pilot open a new chapter in his career in a few weeks, especially given the way the last one closed.

Ayao Komatsu, the director of Haas, therefore chose to recruit Esteban Ocon to replace Nico Hülkenberg, who took the path of Stake Sauber, while other more experienced drivers like Valtteri Bottas would not have hesitated to join the American team.

The Japanese boss explained that he wanted someone with some experience, but who still had room for improvement. Ocon therefore emerged as the favorite candidate for director, the latter believing that the Frenchman had the necessary build to take on the leadership role that Hülkenberg left behind.

“I wanted someone young. Young and experienced”he said. “Esteban, I don't know if he's 28 yet, but he was 27 when I hired him. So he's still very young. He has podiums, he's scored a lot of points, but I think that he still has a lot to improve. I wanted someone who is hungry, but who we know, from a fairly young age. But again, determination and work ethic are the most important elements. important Because we are a very small one. team, there are still many areas where the process and methodology is still lacking.”

“For example, what Nico did very well was drive the team. He was at the center, he led the development, he was part of the discussion about how we should develop the car. I wanted someone 'one who actively does this, rather than just turning up on race weekend and driving, [ou] to show up at the simulator when asked. I wanted someone who was truly motivated, determined to relentlessly improve themselves and the team. And Esteban is that kind of character.”

Esteban Ocon parted ways with Alpine after five years, four podiums and one victory, the French team's only success in F1 at present. The break between the two parties was also quicker than expected, since the Enstone structure chose to oust Ocon even before the last Grand Prix of the season and in a rather abrupt manner, which did not fail to make people talk.

Asked if the 27-year-old was determined to prove that his former team was wrong to let him leave without a final goodbye, Komatsu replied: “I don’t know how… I mean he was determined to take the next step. I think he's really… Like everyone, I think that with the right environment, people thrive. And for someone like Esteban, [et] Ollie, I have no doubt that if we can provide them with the right environment, they will thrive. That’s what I’m looking for.”

“Like Nico, honestly, we really enjoyed working with him and he was only with us for two years, but last year was fantastic. And I think it's just… yeah, the whole Credit goes to him for performing the way he did, but I think we collectively, as a team, provided that environment that Nico was so comfortable in, in the right way. You have to understand each individual. Ollie will be different, Esteban will be different. We have to try to understand what works for them, for us, together, and then create this efficient environment. That’s the key.”

Comments collected by Alex Kalinauckas