Ocon says he is ready for duel with Alonso: 'Will be a tough opponent'

Esteban Ocon faces the daunting task of beating his teammate once again in 2021. His comeback to Formula 1 was a difficult one alongside Daniel Ricciardo, but with Fernando Alonso alongside him this year, it could be another difficult year.

Ocon was brought back to Formula 1 by Renault in 2020. The coronavirus had sidelined Ocon for almost a year and a half and it showed on the track. Ricciardo was clearly the fastest of the two during the season, which puts Ocon in a difficult situation. With Alonso, another big name is coming to Alpine.

''I feel I am ready to race against Fernando. He will be a tough opponent, but I am ready to take on him. I want to put him under pressure, that is my goal. It will be interesting to see how a world champion works. What details he will work on, for example,'' Ocon told Formula1.com.

Besides a new teammate, Ocon also gets a new management. Cyril Abiteboul left and also CEO Jerome Stoll left. In their place came Laurent Rossi and Davide Brivio, and in addition Marcin Budkowski was promoted as team principal.

''I have confidence in the future of this team. Laurent and Davide are very motivated to make the next step with this team and try to improve everything. We have already spoken a lot with each other and they are very accessible to me. From what I have heard now, I am very happy which way we are going,'' concludes Ocon.