Esteban Ocon: The Astonishing Truth About the French F1 Driver

Esteban Ocon is a rising star in the world of Formula One racing.  This is not a racing baby born with a silver spoon in his mouth, instead it is a story of guts, determination and sacrifice to get him to the level he is at now.

He made a name for himself in karting and slowly moved through the ranks of the different racing disciplines. After some interesting twists and turns in his career he has finally settled with Alpine alongside Pierre Gasly.

Where Is Esteban Ocon From?

Esteban Ocon was born in the picturesque French town of Évreux on September 17, 1996. Today he lives in Geneva in Switzerland.

Esteban Ocon Parents?

His dad is Laurent Ocon, and his Mum is Sabrine Khelfane.

He grew up in a single child household, in a family of motorsport enthusiasts. Laurent Ocon  is a mechanic who owned a garage in Évreux, France.

Both parents have been involved in the motorsport industry. His dad is a mechanic by trade who has worked as an engineer for several different teams.  

Esteban’s  parents have made huge sacrifices for Esteban’s F1 career. This incudes selling the family home and Laurent Ocon’s business to fund Esteban’s career. They ended up living and travelling to racing events in a caravan.

Esteban Ocon Sister

Ocon does not have any siblings.

Esteban Ocon Manager

Toto Wolff (Mercedes team principal) manages Esteban, and it was  Toto Wolff who placed Esteban with Renault’s Cyril Abiteboul.

He has great affection for Toto and insists he would not have prospered in F1 if it had not been for Toto’s support.

Esteban Ocon Weight

Oscar weighs 66kgs.

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How Tall Is Esteban Ocon?

At 1.86m Esteban is the tallest driver in 2023.

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Esteban Ocon’s Background And Early Career

Ocon’s passion for racing began at a young age, with his family taking him to watch karting races as a child.

It wasn’t long before he started competing and quickly showed a natural talent for the sport. At ten years old he won the French Minime Championship.

Over the next few years he continued to develop as a driver and impress on the karting circuit.

His parents generously funded his racing career by selling the family home and Laurent Ocon  motor garage.

When he was 13, he achieved his first support. The Gravity Sports Management, a subsidiary organization of the Renault F1 team, supported Esteban when he was 13 years old and assisted him in realizing his dream of racing in Formula One.

Ocon’s Move To Single Seat Racing

In 2012, at 14 years old Esteban made the jump to single-seater racing.

He started in the French F4 Championship where he finished fourteenth with four point-scoring finishes in his first season.

He remained Formula Renault for 2013.

During this period he also got the chance to compete in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series.

Over the next few years, Ocon continued to compete in various Formula Renault and Formula 3 series, earning multiple wins and podium finishes.

Esteban Ocon – Formula Three

Ocon made his debut as a Formula three river in 2013 where he raced with the Prema Powerteam

He won the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship with three races to spare.

During 2014 he also made a brief appearance in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series driving for  Comtec Racing.

Esteban Ocon – GP3 Series

In 2015 Esteban moved over to the GP3 series and once again won the championship with ease and a surplus of eight points.

Esteban Ocon – DTM Series

In 2016 Ocon entered the DTM series where he drove for Mercedes-Benz. He simultaneously held the reserve driver position for the Renault F1 team.

Ocon’s Performance In Formula One.

He has had an interesting career in F1.

2014 – Lotus F1 Team

In 2014, Ocon heh signed on as a development driver for the Lotus F1 team, and he began testing with them later that year.

2015 – Force India And Mercedes Junior Team

In 2015 he drove the Force India F1 car during the post-race test in Barcelona. During 2015 he also became a member of the Mercedes Junior Team.

2016 – Renault F1 Team Testing

However, in 2015, Renault purchased the team, which left Esteban without a drive. He continued to test for the team but was unable to secure a race seat for the 2016 season.

During 2016 he was the official reserve driver for Renault Sport F1.

2016 – Manor Team (Reserve Driver)

Ocon’s talent had not gone unnoticed. In 2016, and he signed as a reserve driver for the Manor Racing team. He made his Formula One debut at the Belgian Grand Prix later that year, replacing Rio Haryanto for the rest of the season.

Ocon made an immediate impact, finishing 16th in his debut race and impressing with his pace and consistency.

2017 – Force India

In 2017, Ocon joined the Force India team as a full-time driver, partnering with Sergio Perez. The season proved to be a successful one for Ocon, with the Frenchman scoring points in 18 of the 20 races and finishing eighth in the championship standings.

He also gained a reputation as a tough and competitive driver, with several on-track battles with his teammate and other drivers.

He continued to rive for Force India alongside Sergio Perez.

During 2018 the Force India team collapsed financially. Lawrence Stroll (Lance Stroll’s dad) purchased the team and he made it clear that Lawrence would replace Esteban with son Lance.

2019 Esteban Ocon Toto Wolff

Having no place to go in 2019 Toto Wolff of Mercedes signed Esteban on to be the teams reserve driver for the year.

Ocon’s Potential for Future Success – Alpine F1 Team

In 2020, Ocon signed up with the newly-formed Alpine team, which had taken over the Renault team.

He partnered with two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, and the season proved to be a challenging one for Ocon.

The Frenchman struggled with the car early in the season. Fernado regularly outpaced by his more experienced teammate him.

However, as the season progressed, Ocon began to show signs of improvement. He scored his first podium finish at the Sakhir Grand Prix, finishing second behind Sergio Perez, and he continued to score points in the remaining races of the season. Ocon finished the season 12th in the championship standings, with 62 points.

Ocon’s impressive performances in 2020 earned him a contract extension with Alpine, and he remained with the team for the 2021 season. Fernando Alonso was his partner in the team which was hoping to improve on their 2020 performance and compete with the top teams in Formula One.

Despite his relative youth and lack of experience compared to some of his peers, Esteban Ocon has proven himself to be a mature person and a driver with a lot of promise.

He had a great start to the 2022 season where he finished 7^th in the first event of the year at Bahrain. He finished the season in 8^th place in the drivers championships.

In 2023 Fernando Alonso has moved over Aston Martin with the Strolls, and Esteban has been joined by Pierre Gasly.  

The Importance Of Team Dynamics In Formula One

While individual skill and talent are important in Formula One, the success of a team ultimately depends on their ability to work together effectively.

This is especially true when it comes to pit stops, where every second counts.

Ocon’s success can be attributed in part to his ability to work well with his team, including his engineers, mechanics, and fellow drivers.

As he continues to develop his skills and gain experience, his ability to contribute to the team dynamic will only become more important.

Esteban Ocon Number

Ocon has carried over the car number 31 from his karting days.

He also drove his Lotus Formula 1 test debut in October 2014 using car number 31.

Esteban Ocon Girlfriend

Since 2018 Ocon has been in a relationship with Elena Berri. She  is an Italian model who was born in Turin, Italy.

She describes herself as a digital creator who has an Instagram following of 102,000 people.

Esteban Ocon Salary

Ocon is on the lower end of F1 drivers salary scale, however at an annual salary of $6,000,000 he is not on skid row!

There are no doubt many incentives which increase his earnings if he achieves set performance levels.

Esteban Ocon Net Worth

Ocon is believed to have a net worth of $18 million.

Ocon’s Car Collection

Esteban has a relatively modest car collection which includes the following cars.