Esteban Ocon facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Esteban Ocon
Ocon at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix
Born	Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane (1996-09-17) 17 September 1996 (age 28) Évreux, Eure, France
Partner(s)	Flavy Barla (2023–present)

Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	French
Car number	31
Entries	161 (161 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	1
Podiums	4
Career points	459
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	1
First entry	2016 Belgian Grand Prix
First win	2021 Hungarian Grand Prix
Last entry	2024 Qatar Grand Prix
2024 position	14th (23 pts)


Previous series
2016 2015 2014 2012–2013 2013 2012	DTM GP3 Series FIA F3 European Formula Renault Eurocup Formula Renault NEC Formula Renault 2.0 Alps
Championship titles
2015 2014	GP3 Series FIA F3 European

Esteban Ocon (born September 17, 1996) is a French racing driver. He currently competes in Formula One for the Haas team. A big moment in his career was winning the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix with the Alpine team.

Esteban grew up in Normandy, France. His family worked very hard to support his dream of racing. He started kart racing at age nine and quickly won many national and international titles. He then moved up to junior racing series. In 2014, he won his first big title in the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. The next year, he won the 2015 GP3 Series.

Esteban joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2015. He made his Formula One debut in 2016 with the Manor team. Later, he raced for Force India (which became Racing Point). After a year as a reserve driver for Mercedes, he returned to full-time racing with Renault in 2020. This team later changed its name to Alpine. For the 2025 season, Esteban will join the Haas F1 Team.

As of the latest race, Esteban Ocon has achieved one race win, one fastest lap, and four podium finishes in Formula One. He is set to stay with Haas until at least the end of the 2026 season.

Early Life and Getting Started in Racing

Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane was born on September 17, 1996, in Évreux, France. His parents are Sabrina Khelfane and Laurent Ocon. His father was a mechanic who owned a garage.

To help Esteban pursue his karting career, his parents made a huge sacrifice. They sold their family home and his father's garage. After that, they lived and traveled to races in a caravan. Esteban once shared that he almost gave up racing to work at a fast-food restaurant.

As of 2022, Esteban lives in Geneva, Switzerland. He speaks French, English, Spanish, and Italian.

Esteban's Junior Racing Career

Karting Success (2006–2011)

Esteban Ocon started karting in 2006. He quickly showed his talent.

In 2007, he won the French Minime Championship.
In 2008, he won the Cadet class.

He then spent three years racing in the KF3 category. He won the French KF3 title in 2010. In 2011, he finished second in the WSK Euro Series, right behind Max Verstappen.

When he was 14, Esteban signed with Gravity Sports management. This company was connected to the Renault F1 team.

Stepping into Single-Seaters (2012–2013)

In 2012, Esteban began racing in single-seater cars. He joined the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series. He finished 14th overall and even got on the podium at a race in France. He also raced part-time in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series, where he earned two podiums.

He continued in the Eurocup series in 2013. He achieved one pole position and won two races. He finished the season in third place. He also won a race in the Northern European Cup.

Formula Three, GP3, and DTM (2013–2015)

Esteban Ocon racing in Formula 3 in 2014

Esteban first tried a Formula Three car at the 2013 Macau Grand Prix. In 2014, he joined the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He led the championship from the very first race. With three races left, he was crowned the champion! He finished on the podium in 21 out of 33 races, winning nine of them. He also earned 15 pole positions.

In 2015, Esteban moved to the GP3 Series. He won the championship by eight points. Even though he only won one race, he had an amazing 14 podium finishes out of 18 races. Nine of those were consecutive second-place finishes!

In 2016, Esteban drove for Mercedes-Benz in the DTM series. He scored two points before moving up to Formula One.

Esteban's Formula One Career

Ocon driving a Mercedes F1 car

Esteban Ocon first drove a Formula One car in October 2014. He tested for the Lotus F1 Team. A week later, he tested a Ferrari F10 as a prize for winning the FIA Formula 3 European title. In November, he took part in his first official Grand Prix practice session at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In May 2015, Force India asked Esteban to test for them. Before he won the GP3 title, it was announced that he would join the Mercedes Junior Team. In February 2016, he also became a reserve driver for the Renault Sport F1 team. He took part in practice sessions at four Grand Prix events for Renault.

Manor Team (2016)

Ocon driving for Manor at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix

On August 10, 2016, Esteban joined the Manor Racing team for the rest of the season. He replaced Rio Haryanto. Esteban made his Formula One race debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 16th. His best result that year was 12th place at the rainy 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix. He finished 23rd in the Drivers' Championship.

Force India Team (2017–2018)

2017 Season

Ocon driving for Force India at the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix

Ocon in 2017

In November 2016, Force India announced that Esteban would race for them in 2017. His teammate was Sergio Pérez. Esteban scored his first Formula One point in his very first race for Force India at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix. He then scored points in the next four races, including a fifth-place finish at the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix.

Esteban had a streak of 12 races where he scored points. However, he often had incidents with his teammate Pérez. At the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix, Pérez did not let Esteban pass, even when the team asked him to. They collided at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which ended Pérez's race and gave Esteban a flat tire. They touched again at the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix. The team owner said these incidents were "very concerning" and would start using team orders.

Esteban started the 2017 Italian Grand Prix in third place, his highest starting position at that time. He finished the race in sixth. He ended his first full Formula One season in eighth place in the drivers' championship.

2018 Season

Ocon at the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix

Esteban continued with Pérez at Force India in 2018. He scored his first points of the season with a tenth-place finish at the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix. At the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he crashed on the first lap. He also retired from his home race, the 2018 French Grand Prix, after another first-lap crash.

During the summer, Force India faced financial problems. A new owner, Lawrence Stroll, bought the team. Esteban and Pérez stayed with the team for the rest of the season. It was later found that Esteban had a deal to join Renault for 2019, but Renault unexpectedly signed Daniel Ricciardo instead. This left Esteban's future uncertain.

At the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, Esteban started third, matching his career-best. He finished sixth. However, he and Pérez collided again at the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. The team called the crash "unacceptable" and told the drivers they could not race each other.

At the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, Esteban collided with race leader Max Verstappen while trying to un-lap himself. Both cars were damaged. They argued after the race, and Verstappen was ordered to do public service for pushing Esteban. Esteban finished the season 12th in the drivers' championship.

Mercedes Reserve Driver (2019)

For the 2019 season, Esteban was replaced at Racing Point. He joined Mercedes as their reserve driver. He did not race in any Grand Prix events that year. He was very close to getting a full-time seat with Mercedes for 2020, but they decided to keep Valtteri Bottas.

Renault Team (2020)

2020: First Podium Finish

Ocon during pre-season testing in 2020

Esteban returned to Formula One as a full-time driver in 2020, joining Renault. He signed a two-year contract and partnered with Daniel Ricciardo. He finished eighth in his first race for Renault at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix.

He had some bad luck with mechanical problems, retiring from several races. At the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix, Esteban started 11th. He moved up to fifth place during the race. After some pit stop issues for other leading cars, Esteban moved into third place. He was then passed by Sergio Pérez, but more problems for the leading Mercedes cars allowed Esteban to claim his first Formula One podium, finishing second! This was Renault's best race result since 2010. He finished the season 12th in the drivers' championship.

Alpine Team (2021–2024)

2021: First Victory

Ocon at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix

Renault changed its name to Alpine F1 Team for the 2021 season. Esteban's new teammate was two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. At the first race, the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, Esteban was hit from behind by Sebastian Vettel.

Esteban struggled in some races, but before the 2021 French Grand Prix, he signed a contract extension with Alpine until the end of 2024.

A huge moment came at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Esteban started eighth. After many crashes at the start, he moved up to second place, and then first! He held onto the lead for the rest of the race, winning his and Alpine's first Formula One victory! This was followed by points finishes in the next three races. At the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix, he finished 10th after driving the entire race on one set of tires. This was the first time a driver had done that since 1997.

He finished the season 11th in the drivers' championship.

2022 Season

Ocon at the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Alpine kept Esteban and Fernando Alonso for the 2022 season. Esteban finished seventh at the first race in Bahrain, even with a penalty. He qualified fifth and finished sixth at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. A crash in practice for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix meant he started last, but he still recovered to finish ninth.

Esteban had five more points finishes, including a fifth place at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix. He finished fourth at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, holding off Lewis Hamilton. He ended the season eighth in the drivers' championship, his best result so far. He outscored his teammate Alonso.

2023 Season

Ocon at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix

For 2023, Esteban got a new teammate, Pierre Gasly, who was a former karting rival. Esteban had a tough start to the season. At the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, he received multiple penalties and retired due to mechanical problems. He scored his first points at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. At the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, he was involved in a big crash with his teammate Gasly.

A highlight of the season was the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. Esteban started third and held onto that position for most of the race. He earned his third career podium and the Driver Of The Day award!

However, he also had a record-breaking race at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix. He received five penalties for going off track limits, which is the most driving penalties in one Formula One race ever. He also had several retirements due to mechanical issues or crashes. He finished the season 12th in the World Drivers' Championship.

2024: Leaving Alpine

Ocon at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix

Esteban continued with Gasly at Alpine for 2024. The team started the season struggling with their car. Esteban scored the team's first points of 2024 at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix, finishing tenth. At the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, he retired after colliding with Gasly, for which he apologized. A week later, Alpine announced Esteban would leave the team at the end of the season.

During the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, Alpine asked Esteban to let Gasly pass him. Esteban was upset when Gasly didn't give the position back later.

A big moment for Alpine came at the rainy 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. Esteban finished second, and Gasly finished third, giving Alpine their first double podium of the year! Esteban even led the race for a short time.

Esteban was replaced by Jack Doohan for the final race of the 2024 season in Abu Dhabi. This was so he could join Haas early for post-season testing. Esteban thanked Alpine on Instagram, saying it wasn't how he wanted things to end.

Haas Team (2025–Present)

Before the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, the Haas team announced that Esteban Ocon would join them for the 2025 season and beyond. He will race alongside British rookie Oliver Bearman.