Esteban Ocon: I didn’t notice how time flew by

Esteban Ocon is preparing for his 150th Grand Prix, a hugely significant milestone by modern Formula 1 standards, especially as the French driver is approaching it with a performance that not everyone can boast. He has one win and three podiums to his name, despite not having driven a car that could win a race in all eight of his Formula 1 seasons.

Alpine F1 has clearly lost ground this year, leaving the 27-year-old just 18th in the individual standings, but perhaps more importantly for him is that he will become a Haas driver next season.

Esteban Ocon: “I didn’t notice how time flew by, because when you enjoy your job, it flies very quickly. Of course, 150 Grands Prix is ​​a lot, and when I went to Baku I didn’t even know about it, but I saw a separate post on our team’s social media pages dedicated to it.

I am very happy to have reached such a serious milestone, but now there are many races every year and time flies so fast, which is partly the reason. But I look at each race separately, travel around the world from circuit to circuit and think only about what is happening here and now.

Of course, it is quite an emotional moment, because I am also about to race for the hundredth time as part of the Renault factory team, although I must admit that our achievements have a bittersweet aftertaste. On the one hand, there were glorious moments, on the other hand, I wish there were more. But I will remain an Alpine driver until the end of the season and will do my best in this car.

Next year I will be driving for Haas and it is a very interesting challenge for me. I have worked with Ayo Komatsu in the past and I know that he is a very ambitious and focused person. I also know that his influence at Haas F1 is now very big and although I have been in discussions with several teams, it was clear to me that this was the best choice to continue his career.

The team has big plans and I am delighted to be involved in that work. Haas has made significant improvements in 2024 and its development is continuing to grow, although it is still quite a modest team in size compared to the bigger teams. Haas is now ahead of Alpine, which in itself is a remarkable achievement, and this team continues to impress the entire paddock.”