Ocon contradicts critics: 'He had a reputation'

Esteban Ocon had an excellent year at Alpine in 2021. He finished eleventh in the world championship with 74 points. Fernando Alonso did a fraction better by gaining seven more points. Ocon says in conversation with RACER that he has a lot of respect for his teammate.

Alpine surprised prior to the 2021 season by announcing that Alonso was returning to Formula One. The Madrid native was not known as a driver who brought calm to the team, which led to fears that the collaboration with Ocon would not go well. Ocon experienced just the opposite last season, he says in the interview.

"A lot of people said Fernando was very difficult to work with, that he had a reputation for breaking teammates and all that," states Ocon, who experienced the opposite. "We’ve just had a fantastic collaboration altogether. He’s a hell of a racer — he’s extremely extremely fast, for sure the fastest teammate I’ve had for a while."

Alonso and Ocon will once again form a duo at Alpine in 2022. The team hopes to move closer to the top thanks to the changes in the regulations. Last season, the team took fifth place in the constructors' championship, only having to beat Mercedes, Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and McLaren.