Esteban Ocon trusts himself and Alpine. After a season in which the French finished fourth in the Constructors’ World Championship and eighth in the Drivers’ World Championship, Ocon sees himself capable of competing head-to-head with Max Verstappen if they have the same weapons.
French and Dutch are known from lower ranks. In fact, in 2014, in European Formula 3, Ocon beat Verstappen and took the title. Despite the passing of the years and a better career in Formula 1 for the Red Bull driver, Esteban Ocon continues to trust that he can beat him again.
“I am convinced that he could compete against Max with the same weapons. If you don’t believe in yourself, you have nothing to do in this sport. I have a contract with Alpine until 2024 and we are growing a lot to close the gap with the best. I trust them a lot”, declared the ’31’ for ‘NOS’.
The rivalry between Verstappen and Ocon could already be seen in Formula 1. At the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix they had a run-in, which ended in an attempted fight in which the Dutchman pushed the Frenchman after an incident on the track. Despite this, Ocon affirms that their current relationship has improved: “Max and I get along well now. We have a lot of respect for each other, I wish him the best.”
Furthermore, the Alpine rider made it clear that Verstappen is a well-deserved world champion, something he aspires to achieve in the coming years: “Their titles are more than deserved. Max is a great representative of my generation., in addition to one of the largest in Formula 1 today. But I am not here just to compete and I am confident that the differences will become smaller in the coming years.”
