Esteban Ocon Hopes to Replicate Ricciardo’s Renault Success Amid Alonso Pressure

The last two seasons were hectic for Renault driver Esteban Ocon as he raced alongside a strong teammate like Daniel Ricciardo. Despite the Australian leaving Renault for McLaren next season, it is unlikely that Ocon will be able to catch a break. The primary reason being he will line up alongside Fernando Alonso for 2021.

The Spaniard Alonso has never lost a battle with a teammate, apart from the one time against Lewis Hamilton. Considering such a strong history, one might assume that the Frenchman Ocon will feel the heat of competing against Alonso.

However, it looks like Ocon is not feeling threatened by the entry of Alonso into the team. Instead, he sounded confident over his ability to cope with pressure.

The youngster feels he can be as successful as Ricciardo, in 2021.

Ocon’s views on his future teammate, Fernando Alonso

The Renault driver opened up on Alonso being his teammate at Renault. “I’ve shown that I can handle difficult moments. The team can rely on me. I hope that in my second year I can give Renault what Daniel has done this year,” Ocon said.

Alonso spent most of his 2020 with Renault, despite the fact that he was not slated to race for the team until 2021. His enthusiasm toward the sport left Ocon astonished.

“It’s unbelievable how Fernando gets involved and how he is already getting the whole team going,” the Frenchman said. (all quotes are translated to English via Google Translate)

Ocon took a break from F1 after being sacked by Force India [Racing Point] in 2019. However, with the help of Mercedes, he received an offer from Renault for a seat in 2020.

Can Esteban Ocon take the fight to Alonso next season?

The Mercedes junior driver returned to the grid in 2020 and unsurprisingly had a shaky start to the season. He scored just four points in the first three race weekends.

His struggles prolonged and he could not drag the limelight towards himself. Meanwhile, his teammate, Ricciardo, was at his prime and kept chipping in points to keep the team going.

After 16 races, Ocon finally managed to get himself in the headlines after securing his first podium in Formula 1. The Sakhir Grand Prix witnessed the young driver cross the line in P2, as he broke the shackles.

He also had a decent outing at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he jumped past Racing Point’s Lance Stroll for P9. It was a weekend where Renault struggled for pace.

It looks like Ocon has finally found form. Now, all eyes will be on his ability to deal with the new challenge of racing alongside the experienced Fernando Alonso.