Esteban Ocon believes he can fight for F1 world titles, confident that his “time will come” to win races.
Esteban Ocon’s career is at a crucial juncture, with a series of important decisions to make in 2024. The Frenchman’s contract with Alpine expires this year, so he must evaluate the options available.
Overall, the 27-year-old has enjoyed reasonable success with the French team. Having collected a race win and four F1 podiums, Ocon certainly isn’t short of silverware or stand-out performances.
However, the objective of any F1 driver with ambition is to compete at the front consistently. For several years now, making this critical step has eluded Alpine.
Despite Renault’s financial firepower and potential, their results have consistently disappointed. Last season was another underwhelming campaign for Team Enstone, who dropped to 6th in the standings.
Although Esteban Ocon secured a fantastic podium in Monaco, Alpine failed to compete regularly for these results.
Speaking to racingnews365, Ocon discussed balancing his ambitions with Alpine’s current position:
“You just have to re-adjust your targets, and my target is to get the best out of the car every race weekend. “
“I believe if I work hard and do well on the track, then my time will come.
“One day, I will have a car that I can compete in for championships and wins. I’m looking forward to that.”
Both Alpine drivers are on expiring contracts in 2024, although a departure from either would be a surprise.
Ocon and Gasly are two very evenly matched drivers, as evidenced on numerous occasions. If last year is any indication, they will continue to push each other to the limit.
Whilst incidents in Australia were examples of inter-team tensions spilling over, these are the least of Alpine’s concerns. Interim team principal Bruno Famin will be tasked with propelling development for 2024.
Having been out-developed by McLaren and Aston Martin, the French team has no excuses for remaining stagnant.
The firing of Otmar Szafnauer (who was adamant about keeping the team’s five-year plan) suggests Alpine demands results now.
Although the A523 wasn’t without promise, it still lacked efficiency and downforce. F1’s next regulation change is only two years away, so time is running out for Alpine to close the gap before everything resets.
Winter testing in Bahrain will indicate whether Esteban Ocon’s ambitions are realistic in the foreseeable future.
