The 2022 Austrian Grand Prix marks Esteban Ocon’s 100th Formula 1 start this weekend. Sport Auto looks back on the career of the young French driver, who won a race with Alpine.
This weekend, Formula 1 continues its 2022 campaign in Austria after a spectacular event at Silverstone. On this occasion, French driver Esteban Ocon will argue his 100th race in the premier discipline, the perfect opportunity to come back to a career that began at Spa in 2016.
We like your style Esteban 😎#AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/rUDPWs1suX
— BWT Alpine F1 Team (@AlpineF1Team) July 7, 2022
1 victory in Hungary
In 99 races contested, the French driver in won athe 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix on the Hungaroring. Since the eighth position on the starting grid, he took the lead from the 5th pass following the carnage from the start.
Clinging to the head until the checkered flag, he signed his first victory in F1, well helped by his teammate Fernando Alonso who resisted Lewis Hamilton.
This success made him the 14th French winner in Formula 1, alongside Jean Alesi, Olivier Panis or Pierre Gasly, winners of the 2020 Italian Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon joined, by winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, the very select club of French winners in Formula 1, alongside four-time world champion Alain Prost and the last two winners, Olivier Panis in 1996 in Monaco and Pierre Gasly l’ last year in Monza #AFP pic.twitter.com/K4SCgRqs5z
– Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) August 2, 2021
1 point from his first F1 race with Force India
After taking over from Rio Haryanto at Manor from the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, Ocon was promoted at Force India alongside Sergio Perez for the 2017 season. From the start of the championship in Australia, he entered his first point from 13th on the grid.
Aged 20 at the time, he remains to this day the youngest Frenchman to score points in F1. 2017 also remains as his best season with 87 points scored and a 8th place final.
#F1 #BelgianGP Ocon: “Pérez wanted to kill me”. Force India won’t let them fight anymore: https://t.co/4myRrOptE9 pic.twitter.com/FuVkTbcH73
— Sport Auto (@SportAutoMag) August 28, 2017
The “comeback” at Renault/Alpine
At the end of 2018, the Frenchman lost his place at Force India, Saved from bankruptcy by Lawrence Stroll to become Racing Point then Aston Martin. After a season on foot as 3rd driver at Mercedes, he returns to the circuits with Renault in 2020, become Alpine. He is under contract with the Enstone stable until 2024 inclusive.
At the dawn of Austrian Grand Prix 2022, Esteban Ocon collected 311 points over his entire career, including 39 points in ten races this year.
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