Esteban Ocon has finally taken a long look in the mirror – and what he sees staring back is the raw, combustible version of himself that once helped turn Force India’s garage into a pressure cooker.
The Frenchman recently revisited his bruising rivalry with Sergio Perez, a pairing that delivered points, podium potential… and a highlight reel of collisions.
Years on, the Haas charger admits that while the speed was real, so were the mistakes – and the cost.
A Rookie Under Fire
Thrown into his first full F1 season in 2017 at just 20 years old, Ocon arrived with a Mercedes badge on his CV and a mountain to climb. Across the garage stood Perez, already a midfield heavyweight with six podiums and a reputation for ruthless racecraft.
“Yeah, it was a lot of pressure,” Ocon admitted. “I was racing against someone very experienced, you know, Checo. He was a consistent scorer in the midfield – probably the most consistent.”
Force India had the fourth-fastest car on the grid back then, a golden opportunity for both drivers. Instead, it became a battleground.
Baku saw Ocon squeeze Perez into the wall while running in the top five. Spa delivered twice the drama, with Perez forcing Ocon toward the barriers on the terrifying run down to Eau Rouge – moments that triggered one of Ocon’s most infamous outbursts.
“I don't know if he wants to die or something,” he said. “Today, we lost a lot of points. We took a lot of risk. We risk our lives for nothing and no reason.”
Regret, Reflection, and Reality
With time has come perspective – and contrition. Ocon now frames those flashpoints as the growing pains of an impatient young driver desperate to prove himself.
“I started clearly on the back foot in the first race [of 2017],” he said. “But then I managed to catch up well after that. And then we were racing very closely.
“And there were moments where I did mistakes, there were moments where I don't feel it was necessarily my fault. I was very young. I was inexperienced. I wanted to push hard and show people what I was capable of.”
Even so, he acknowledges lines were crossed – especially at Spa.
“There are things that I would have liked to change. Like Spa, for example. These kinds of moments, it shouldn’t have happened. It cost the team points,” he acknowledged.
The rivalry was so intense that Force India team boss Otmar Szafnauer briefly imposed team orders – a remarkable move for a midfield outfit punching above its weight and fighting financial uncertainty.
“You know, I've made mistakes over my career, and things that I shouldn't have done in racing. But that's how you learn from it. We all make mistakes, but it's how you overcome those,” Ocon said.
Respect, Then and Now
Despite the fireworks, Ocon insists the respect for Perez never vanished.
“At the time, we were just racing hard and trying to race as the best we can. And that's also why we got so many points that year. Because we were racing very well together,” he explained.
But looking back, he wishes the rivalry had burned less destructively.
“That's the way I saw racing back then. The track was what matters the most, but things could have happened in a different way,” he admitted.
“And with how much respect I had for Checo at the time – and I still have now – I would have preferred things to go in a different way.”
For all the chaos, the results were undeniable.
“We finished with a very good championship finish position for the team,” Ocon concluded. “With fourth place. A top 10 finish in my first full season. So, yeah, it was very solid for sure.”
Read also: Gasly on the friendship and fallout behind his rivalry with Ocon
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