Esteban Jose Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane, born September 17th 1996, hails from the Normandy region of France and drives for the French team Alpine F1. He drove his first Formula One race at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix after replacing Japanese driver Rio Haryanto at Manor Racing halfway through the season. The following year, Ocon was signed to the Force India team where he completed his first full season in F1, finishing 8th in the Drivers Championship and helping the team to finish 4th in the Constructors Championship with teammate Sergio Perez. Unfortunately in 2018, the Force India team went into bankruptcy mid-season and was bought out by a consortium put together by billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll. Ocon finished out the season under the new ownership, but it was announced that he would be replaced the following year by Stroll’s son, Lance, who was driving for Williams at the time. Esteban was forced to sit out the the 2019 season and serve as reserve driver for Mercedes AMG. When he returned in 2020 it was with the Renault F1 team, which was later rebranded as Alpine F1 in 2021 to promote Renault’s sportscar division. That same year, 2021, Esteban won the Hungarian Grand Prix, which was the first time a French driver won a Formula One race in a French car with a French engine since Alain Prost in 1983.
Esteban was born in Evreux, France to Sabrine Khelfane and Laurent Ocon, a mechanic and garage owner. On his paternal side his grandparents were originally from Malaga, Spain although his father was born in France. Esteban and his parents lived in an apartment above the garage where his father fixed and sold cars, so he became used to the smells of grease and gasoline at an early age and learned to love them. If things had not worked out in Formula One Esteban would most likely have become a mechanic himself as he was already learning from his father at a young age. However, as Esteban began to spend more time at the track and competing locally it became evident that he was a very talented young driver. In fact, his parents had so much faith in his abilities that his father sold the garage and bought a travel trailer to live in so that Esteban could compete all over Europe. The family set off with their dog, travelling from race to race with no permanent residence, collecting trophies along the way. Eventually, Esteban was picked up at the age of fourteen by Gravity Sports management, a sister company of the Renault F1 team. Without the sponsorship, Ocon wouldn’t have been able to afford to continue racing. With the sponsorship he was able to move up to Formula Renault and join the Lotus F1 junior team, eventually winning the 2014 Formula 3 European Championship (ahead of Max Verstappen). In 2016, Ocon won the GP3 Championship and was picked up by Mercedes to drive in the DTM series. Later that same year he found himself driving in Formula One for Manor Racing. 2016 was a big year for Ocon, and with Mercedes, it was the first time he’d been paid to drive. He used the money to help his dad build a house.
So, what could be better than being a French driver driving for a French team? Another French Driver. At the end of the 2022 season it was announced that Esteban’s childhood friend and compatriot, Pierre Gasly, would be his teammate at Alpine F1 in 2023. Ocon bought his first kart from one of Pierre’s older brothers and later convinced Pierre to give up soccer and focus solely on karting. The two friends grew up together at the local track, often being the only two there when the weather was cold or wet. Eventually though, as they grew older, they began competing against one another and the relationship started to sour. They have been on speaking terms all along but haven’t been close for many years. The 2023 season was an opportunity for them to rekindle their friendship and help Alpine F1 attain new heights, but as we know, the first person every driver wants to beat is their teammate, who is essentially driving with the same equipment. It’s the ultimate test, and Ocon likes to win. He has not always been generous with his teammates, so it will be interesting to see how the relationship develops.