Esteban Ocon uplifted by Haas' resilience amid challenging F1 season

19:55, 19 Aug

Updated: 20:31, 19 Aug

byLuke-John Buckle

Haas have endured a difficult start to the season and are sitting in ninth place in the Constructors' Championship during the summer break. Despite the tough start, Esteban Ocon is delighted with how Haas have bounced back over the year.

The Frenchman joined Haas at the start of this season after a four-year stint at Alpine. Ocon is comfortably in front of rookie teammate Oliver Bearman in the championship standings with a 19-point gap between them.

It was a difficult start to the campaign for Haas as they left round one in Australia point-less. Form soon picked up over the next three rounds as Bearman scored points in that run. Ocon drove to fifth place in China and a P8 finish in Bahrain.

Ocon told at the Hungarian Grand Prix that he is pleased with Haas' resilience but urged the team to maximise every opportunity they have.

He said: "Going in the good direction, I would say. It hasn't been smooth the whole time, but we were able to get some weekends where we thought, okay, that was a really strong one. There was nothing we could have done better and there was a lot of learning.

Esteban Ocon is the same person as ten years ago

Ocon pleased with Haas' reaction to tough start

"We started, clearly, as the last car in Australia, and we fought back in a magnificent way. The team was able to react to certain situations in a way that I felt it was a lost cause, and that wasn't the case. It's been great to see how much pride the team takes when we do certain results, and I'm really proud of everyone in the way we've been able to deliver and improve.

"We set ourselves in a good position now, where it's a tight midfield, and we need to deliver every time we are out there, and that will make the difference at the end of the year."

The midfield is an incredibly close battle, with sixth-place Aston Martin just 17 points ahead of Haas, who are sitting in ninth place.

Taking advantage of chances when they arise will be vital to a good result in the championship, and Ocon has grasped opportunities in his career. The Frenchman won the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021 and scored second place in Brazil last year.