Esteban Ocon shares a team with Fernando Alonso for the second consecutive season and, having been previously alerted to the problems he could face, has drawn his own conclusions.
Fernando Alonso He made his debut in Formula 1 and, throughout these 21 years, he has only been absent from the category for three seasons: 2002 when he was a Renault tester and 2019 and 2020 when he decided to bet on other disciplines.
It is not, therefore, an unknown pilot. But there is also no doubt that Fernando Alonso has evolved and the experience gained in the Formula 1 and in other categories it has made him change over time.
Perhaps the best version of Fernando Alonso is the one Alpine is enjoying right now. And, by extension, your partner Stephen Ocon. The Frenchman has starred in several duels on the track with the Spanish, but in all of them the limits have been respected and there have been no incidents.
Respect and trust in Alonso
This is something that Ocon himself cannot say about his previous experience with Sergio Pérez at Force India and Racing Point, as the protagonist himself admits.
«The situation with Sergio was different from the one with Fernando. With Sergio we were always very fair and sometimes we didn’t finish the races. There came a point where we were too much to the limit, “acknowledges Ocon.
«With Fernando, when we fight on the track, we never reach the risk of damaging the car, we know what we can do. We did it in Jeddah this year and also in the past in other races », he recalls.
Esteban Ocon affirms that duels with Fernando Alonso have always been tough, but fair. Even when they were direct rivals on different teams.
“It will always be tight. Fernando is very tough on the track, but he always knows when it’s not time to be tough. I remember his time at McLaren and mine at Force India, we always had tough battles, but fair, those fights were beautiful. I know I can trust him”he points out.
A particular teammate
Respect is earned on the track, but also off it. And Esteban Ocon claims to have Fernando Alonso’s and vice versa, despite having been warned about how complicated it was going to be for him to share a team with the two-time world champion.
«Being Fernando’s partner is not as brutal as some believe. A lot of people in the paddock told me to be careful with him, that he’s very tough on the one on the other side of the garage and also that he likes mind games. I told them that I wanted to make my own judgment, ”says Ocon.
«His life is racing, everything he does has something to do with it and the same thing happens with me. It may sound boring, we don’t have much interest in other thingsbut we can laugh together”, he reiterates, affirming that they have similar life philosophies.
“I am very happy to be his teammate, It’s an honor to work alongside him and it’s great that we both push each other so hard.we took the team to a level that was not there in the past”, he concludes.
Source: Beyond The Grid
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Photos: Alpine F1 Team