Ocon has unique car control: 'Not many can do that'

Esteban Ocon thinks it is not for nothing that Fernando Alonso and he crash so infrequently. In fact, according to the Frenchman, he and his teammate have exceptional car control.

On the track, Ocon always looks like a driver who can complete his laps very cleanly. He makes few huge mistakes and performs extremely consistently in races. As such, he scores many points through the season. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old driver argues to The Race that he does not see himself as a classic driver who drives very "smooth".

What makes Ocon fast?

''Not really. It can look smooth, yes, but I don’t think many drivers could drift an F1 car and I could if I wanted. But as soon as there’s some [sideways] movement, it’s not going to go fast,'' said the Alpine driver. Ocon is very happy with his own driving style, which he has developed over the years.

''I probably feel it earlier than some drivers, like Fernando. He has a lot of movements, a lot of steering input, but in the last two seasons we were probably the drivers that have crashed the least. And I think that’s probably due to car control and confidence with the car. It looks smooth, but I feel it’s the fastest way to go.''

Ocon can develop his driving style again in 2023 when he gets a new teammate at Alpine in Pierre Gasly. Then Ocon will have to pull the cart as the most experienced man within the team, while Gasly too has not come to the French racing stable as the number two driver. It will push both to the limit.