Formula 1 returned this past weekend with the Belgium GP and safe to say, it was worth the wait. While Max Verstappen sailed smoothly towards his 9th GP victory, it was Esteban Ocon who stole the move of the day with a remarkable double overtake in lap 36. Impressively, it was his second double overtake of the race.

Esteban Ocon started the day from the 16th position but fought back magnificently to finish P7. He finished two positions behind his teammate Fernando Alonso who started the race in 3rd position. The French driver called the weekend “our best weekend of the year so far, and probably since I joined the team”. 

His first double overtake was on Daniel Ricciardo and Nicholas Latifi, as a sharp move on the Bus Stop chicane allowed him to overtake the duo. However, it was his next double overtake on Sebastian Vettel and Pierre Gasly at the end of Kemmel Straight which drew comparisons to McLaren legend Mika Hakkinen. 

“I was like, the detection is there and he’s passing Pierre too early, because he’s not going to get the DRS. From there on, I lifted the throttle a bit, got myself a little bit of a gap to be able to use the straightline speed. And then the surprise and confirmation was that Pierre had DRS.” 

“I was able to go on the left side. Seb was very fair, he could have closed a bit on the left but he didn’t do, and I managed to get Pierre around the outside of Turn 5.”

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton Sends Cut-Throat Answer to Fernando Alonso’s Belgian GP Road Rage

Ocon’s move of the day certainly caught the attention of a lot of people in the paddock. The French driver has had an impressive season so far and is currently P8 in the Drivers Championship.

Double overtake from Esteban Ocon

Esteban Ocon has been silently screaming consistency this season. The Alpine driver has not finished in points just thrice this season. In what was yet another impressive race from the French driver, he pulled off not one, but two double overtakes as he crossed the chequered flag to finish P7.

Ocon shared a delightful coincidence of how he was discussing with Mika Hakkinen before the race. He said, “Mika came and talked to me before the race as well in the paddock! It’s a good coincidence, It was definitely good fun.”

“I’ve enjoyed the racing today, the car was extremely fast in a straight line, so I was managing the timing right about when to overtake.”

The former Force India driver also tweeted about the same and captioned it “Cheers for the pre-race chat, Mika”. 

WATCH THIS STORY: “Awful Lot of Frustration…”: When Vexed Red Bull F1 Boss Called Out Alpine Cheap ‘Economy’ Treatment

With an impressive straight-line speed that helped both their drivers, Alpine will be looking to build on their fabulous performance. Ocon will also be looking to challenge Lando Norris for the 7th position in the Driver standing. He currently trails the McLaren driver by 12 points.

Which driver did it better, according to you, Esteban Ocon or Mika Hakkinen?