via Getty
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – AUGUST 01: Race winner Esteban Ocon of France and Alpine F1 Team celebrates on the podium next to third placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Florion Goga – Pool/Getty Images)
via Getty
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY – AUGUST 01: Race winner Esteban Ocon of France and Alpine F1 Team celebrates on the podium next to third placed Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP during the F1 Grand Prix of Hungary at Hungaroring on August 01, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Florion Goga – Pool/Getty Images)
Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton had a brilliant battle in Suzuka Circuit last weekend. The duo battled it all out with Ocon coming out as the eventual winner in the Japanese Grand Prix. In the post-race press conference, both Hamilton and Ocon shared that they had ”fun” racing in Japan.
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Hamilton, who started the race behind Esteban Ocon, also finished the race behind him. Unable to overtake the young Frenchman, the Briton finished almost a second behind the Alpine driver. However, for Hamilton, it was a fun race to be in.
After the race, the seven-time world champion stated, “I had a lot of fun. He did a great job staying on track and staying ahead, obviously, he was very, very quick on the straights. I was trying everything, but I think we had the most fun.”
“I don’t know how other people had it.”
READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton Revealed When His Suspicions Began Around Red Bull’s Cost Cap Breach
On a different note, the F1 world champion is over, with Max Verstappen retaining his title. Hamilton, who is in P6 now, can’t do anything but hope that he comes back stronger next year and expects Mercedes to build a better car for 2023.
Esteban Ocon also had a “fun” race against Lewis Hamilton
The Frenchman finished the race in P4 while Hamilton was a place behind in P5. Both Ocon and Hamilton gained a place after Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz crashed on Lap 2. Like Lewis, Esteban Ocon also enjoyed the battle thoroughly, as it reminded him of the karting days.
Great battle for P4 😮
Ocon is holding off Hamilton for now#JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/6bTmloVohW
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2022
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Talking about the racing experience, the Alpine driver shared, “From there on, the fighting with Lewis, I enjoyed it a lot – it was a lot of fun. It was a bit of a karting battle, trying different lines; not one corner [was] I not watching my mirrors!”
“It was definitely good fun [and] I’m very happy with the outcome.”
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Despite finishing ahead of Hamilton, Ocon is still 102 points behind the Mercedes driver in the driver’s standings. Ocon picked up 78 points after 18 races as compared to Hamilton’s 180. Moreover, the Alpine driver is on P8 whereas Hamilton is in P6.
