Esteban Ocon facts for kids

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	2019 Monaco 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 José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane, born on September 17, 1996, is a French racing driver. He currently competes in Formula One for the Haas team. Ocon achieved a big win at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix while driving for Alpine.

Esteban grew up in Normandy, France, in a family that worked hard. He started kart racing when he was nine years old. He quickly became very good, winning many national and international titles. In 2012, he moved up to bigger racing cars called junior formulae. He won his first major title in 2014, becoming the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship champion. He beat other talented drivers like Max Verstappen. The next year, he won the 2015 GP3 Series, getting on the podium 14 times in 18 races.

Since 2015, Esteban has been part of the Mercedes Junior Team. He made his first Formula One appearance at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. He joined the Manor team for the rest of the 2016 season. In 2017, he moved to Force India, which later became Racing Point. He raced alongside Sergio Pérez. After the 2018 season, Ocon became a reserve driver for Mercedes in 2019.

Ocon returned to full-time racing with Renault in 2020. He earned his first podium finish at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. In 2021, Renault changed its name to Alpine. Ocon continued with the team and won his first Formula One race at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. In 2022, he finished ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso in the championship. He achieved his third podium at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. In 2024, his last season with Alpine, he set his first fastest lap at the 2024 United States Grand Prix. He also got his fourth podium at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. He left Alpine after the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix and joined Haas for 2025, racing with Oliver Bearman.

As of July 2025, Ocon has won one race, achieved one fastest lap, and stood on the podium four times in Formula One. He is set to race for Haas until at least the end of the 2026 season.

Early Life and Family

Esteban José Jean-Pierre Ocon-Khelfane was born on September 17, 1996, in Évreux, Normandy. His parents are Sabrina Khelfane and Laurent Ocon. His father, Laurent, is a mechanic who owned a garage. Esteban's family on his father's side comes from Málaga, Spain.

To help fund Esteban's karting career, his parents made a big sacrifice. They sold their family home, which included his father's garage. After selling the house, they lived and traveled to races in a caravan. This caravan also served as Esteban's motor home. Esteban once shared that he almost stopped racing to work at McDonald's.

Esteban Ocon lives in Geneva, Switzerland. He speaks French, English, Spanish, and Italian. In 2023, he started a relationship with model Flavy Barla, who was a former Miss Côte d'Azur.

Racing Journey

Starting in Karting (2006–2011)

Ocon began karting in 2006. He finished eighth in the French Championship Minime class that year. He won the championship in 2007. In 2008, he won the Cadet class, beating future F1 drivers like Pierre Gasly. For the next three years, he raced in the KF3 category. He competed in the Spanish Karting Championship and Italian Open Masters. 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 was signed by Gravity Sports management. This company was connected to the Renault F1 team.

Formula Renault (2012–2013)

In 2012, Ocon started racing in single-seater cars. He joined the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series. He finished 14th overall and got on the podium once at his home track, Circuit Paul Ricard. He also raced part-time in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series, finishing seventh with two podiums.

He stayed in the Eurocup series for 2013. He earned one pole position and won two races, including one at Circuit Paul Ricard. 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

Ocon first raced in Formula Three cars at the 2013 Macau Grand Prix. He finished tenth in the main race. He continued with Prema Powerteam in the 2014 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He led the championship from the first race and stayed in the lead all season. He won the FIA Formula 3 European championship with three races left. He finished ahead of Tom Blomqvist and Max Verstappen. He got on the podium in 21 out of 33 races, winning nine of them. He also earned 15 pole positions.

In 2015, Ocon moved to the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix. Even though he only won one race (two others were taken away due to penalties), he won the championship. He finished eight points ahead of Luca Ghiotto. Ocon earned three pole positions and 14 podium finishes in 18 races. This included nine second-place finishes in a row.

In 2016, Ocon drove for Mercedes-Benz in the first ten races of the DTM season. He also worked as a reserve driver for the Renault Formula One team. He scored two points by finishing ninth in a race at Circuit Zandvoort. He then moved to Formula One full-time.

Formula One Career

Ocon driving the Mercedes F1 W07 Hybrid

Esteban Ocon first drove a Formula One car on October 22, 2014. He tested the Lotus E20 car for Lotus F1 Team. A week later, he tested a Ferrari F10 as a prize for winning his Formula 3 title. In November, he took part in a Grand Prix weekend for the first time. He drove in a practice session at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

In May 2015, Force India asked Ocon to test their car in Barcelona. This happened after Pascal Wehrlein became ill. Before he won the GP3 title, it was announced that Ocon would join the Mercedes Junior Team. In February 2016, Ocon also became a reserve driver for the Renault Sport F1 team for the 2016 season. He participated in Friday practice sessions at four Grand Prix events for Renault.

Manor (2016)

Ocon driving for Manor at the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix

On August 10, 2016, Rio Haryanto left the Manor Racing team. Ocon was chosen to replace him for the rest of the season. He raced alongside Pascal Wehrlein. Ocon made his Formula One race debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 16th. His best result was 12th place at the 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix, which was a wet race. He finished 23rd in the Drivers' Championship.

Force India (2017–2018)

2017 Season

Ocon driving for Force India at the 2017 Chinese Grand Prix

Ocon in 2017

On November 10, 2016, Force India announced that Ocon would join them for the 2017 season. This was part of his contract with Mercedes. His new teammate was Sergio Pérez. Ocon scored his first Formula One point in his 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.

After a 12th-place finish at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix, Ocon had 12 races in a row where he scored points. However, he often had incidents with his teammate Pérez. At the 2017 Canadian Grand Prix, Pérez did not let Ocon pass, even when the team asked him to. They crashed into each other at the 2017 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This forced Pérez to stop racing and gave Ocon a flat tire. They also made contact at the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix. Ocon said he was "furious" and that Pérez "risked [their] lives." The team owner, Vijay Mallya, said the crashes were "very concerning" and that he would make them follow team orders from then on.

Ocon started the 2017 Italian Grand Prix in third place, which was his best starting position. He finished the race in sixth. He spent much of the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix in third place and finished fifth. His streak of finishing 27 races in a row ended at the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix. He crashed with Romain Grosjean on the first lap. He finished his first full Formula One season in eighth place in the championship, with 87 points.

2018 Season

Ocon at the 2018 Canadian Grand Prix

Ocon continued racing with Pérez at Force India in 2018. His first points of the season came with a tenth-place finish at the 2018 Bahrain Grand Prix. At the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he crashed with Kimi Räikkönen on the first lap and had to stop racing. Ocon had to stop again at the next race, the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix, due to an oil leak. He scored points in five more races before the summer break. However, he had to stop racing at his home race, the 2018 French Grand Prix, after a first-lap crash with Pierre Gasly.

During the summer break, Force India had financial difficulties. A businessman named Lawrence Stroll bought the team's assets. The new owners confirmed that Ocon and Pérez would stay with the team for the rest of the season. It was later known that Ocon had a plan to join Renault for 2019. But Renault unexpectedly signed Daniel Ricciardo, which left Ocon's future uncertain.

At Racing Point Force India's first race, the 2018 Belgian Grand Prix, Ocon started in third place, matching his best starting position. He finished sixth. Ocon and Pérez crashed on the first lap of the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix. This caused Ocon to hit a wall and stop racing. The team called the crash "unacceptable" and told the drivers not to race each other so closely. Pérez later said sorry for his part in the accident. Ocon was disqualified from eighth place at the 2018 United States Grand Prix. His car used too much fuel. At the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, he crashed with race leader Max Verstappen while trying to un-lap himself. Both cars were damaged. They both continued racing, but Ocon received a penalty. They argued after the race, and Verstappen pushed Ocon. Both drivers were called by the FIA. Verstappen was ordered to do two days of public service for touching Ocon on purpose.

Ocon finished the 2018 season in 12th place in the drivers' championship, with 49 points.

Mercedes Reserve Driver (2019)

For the 2019 season, Lance Stroll replaced Ocon at Racing Point. Ocon had planned to move to Renault, but it did not happen. Ocon joined Mercedes as their reserve driver for 2019. He did not race in any Grand Prix weekends that year. He said he had talked with Mercedes about racing for them in 2020. He was "very close" to replacing Valtteri Bottas. However, Mercedes decided to keep Bottas.

Renault / Alpine (2020–2024)

2020: First Podium

Ocon during pre-season testing in 2020

Ocon joined Renault for 2020, signing a two-year contract. This marked his return to Formula One as a full-time driver. He replaced Nico Hülkenberg and raced with Daniel Ricciardo. Ocon finished eighth in his first race for Renault at the 2020 Austrian Grand Prix. He was running in seventh place at the 2020 Styrian Grand Prix when he had to stop due to a cooling problem. At the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, he started 14th but finished eighth. His best race finish since 2017 came at the 2020 Belgian Grand Prix, where he finished fifth.

Ocon's brakes caught fire during a safety car period at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix. He could not restart the race after a red flag. He had more mechanical problems at the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix and the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. At the 2020 Turkish Grand Prix, he started seventh and was in third place by the first corner. But crashes with Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas meant he finished 11th.

Ocon started 11th at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. He moved up to fifth place by lap 54. This was helped by crashes and other drivers making pit stops. A virtual safety car (VSC) period happened, and some drivers tried to pit. But the VSC ended while they were in the pit lane, which helped Ocon move up to third place. He was soon passed by Sergio Pérez. However, problems for the leading Mercedes cars in the pit stop allowed Ocon to finish second. This was his first Formula One podium and Renault's best result since 2010. He finished the season 12th in the drivers' championship, with 62 points.

2021: First Victory

Ocon at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix

Renault changed its name to Alpine F1 Team for the 2021 season. The team signed two-time world champion Fernando Alonso to race with Ocon. In Alpine's first race, the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, Ocon was hit from behind by Sebastian Vettel. Ocon finished 13th, and Vettel later said sorry. Ocon finished ninth at the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, earning Alpine's first points. His first retirement of the season was at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to a turbocharger problem. He struggled with his tires at the 2021 French Grand Prix, finishing 14th. He started 17th at both the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix and 2021 Austrian Grand Prix. He had to stop racing at the Austrian Grand Prix after a first-lap crash. Before the French Grand Prix, Alpine announced that Ocon had signed a contract to stay with the team until the end of 2024.

Ocon started eighth at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. Many crashes ahead of him moved him up to second place at the first corner. He then moved into first place when race leader Lewis Hamilton pitted for dry tires later than everyone else. Ocon held the lead for the rest of the race, holding off Sebastian Vettel. He took his and Alpine's first Formula One victory! After this win, he scored points in the next three races. The 2021 Turkish Grand Prix was wet, and Ocon finished tenth. He drove the entire race on one set of intermediate tires. This was the first time a driver had finished a full race without a pit stop since 1997.

A crash with Antonio Giovinazzi at the 2021 United States Grand Prix broke Ocon's front wing, leading to him stopping the race. He finished fifth at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix. He almost got a podium at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Ocon briefly led the race and was in third place for most of it. But Valtteri Bottas passed him just before the finish line, and Ocon finished only 0.102 seconds behind. Ocon finished the season 11th in the drivers' championship, with 74 points.

2022 Season

Ocon at the 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Alpine kept Ocon and Alonso for the 2022 season. Ocon finished seventh at the first race, the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, even with a penalty for crashing with Mick Schumacher. He qualified fifth and finished sixth at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. There was a close battle with Alonso, and the team told Ocon to hold his position. A crash in practice for the 2022 Miami Grand Prix meant he missed qualifying and started last. He recovered in the race to finish ninth and was moved to eighth after Alonso received a penalty. At the 2022 Spanish Grand Prix, Ocon finished seventh, ahead of Alonso. Ocon finished ninth at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix but was moved to 12th by a penalty for crashing with Lewis Hamilton.

At the 2022 British Grand Prix, Ocon qualified 15th due to battery problems. He had to stop racing due to a fuel pump issue. He then had five races where he scored points, including a fifth-place finish at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix. Ocon qualified fifth at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix but started 16th due to an engine penalty. He recovered in the race to finish seventh and score points. He started 17th at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix due to brake problems and then had to stop racing due to an engine failure. Ocon's best result of the season was fourth place at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, where he held off Lewis Hamilton. Ocon started 18th at the 2022 United States Grand Prix and finished 11th. He was involved in crashes with teammate Alonso in the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix sprint race.

Ocon finished the 2022 season eighth in the drivers' championship, matching his best result from 2017. He scored 92 points.

2023 Season

Ocon at the 2023 Austrian Grand Prix

For 2023, Ocon got a new teammate, Pierre Gasly, who was a rival from his karting days. Alonso had moved to Aston Martin. Ocon's training was affected before the season started because he got "very sick" with a lung virus.

At the first race of the season, the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Ocon received several penalties. He eventually had to stop racing due to mechanical problems. He started sixth and scored his first points of the season at the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, finishing eighth. At the 2023 Australian Grand Prix, Ocon was involved in a big crash with teammate Gasly. Gasly said sorry for his part in the incident. Ocon crashed in qualifying at the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He had to start both the sprint race and the main race from the pit lane. During the race, Ocon stayed on hard tires until the very last lap. Photographers started to enter the pit lane, not realizing Ocon still needed to pit, and narrowly avoided being hit by his car.

He started third at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc received a penalty. Ocon held off Carlos Sainz Jr. for a while but lost a place to George Russell during pit stops. A mistake and a penalty for Russell allowed Ocon to get back into third place. This earned him his third career podium and the Driver Of The Day award. He scored more points at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix and 2023 Canadian Grand Prix. He also scored points in the wet 2023 Austrian Grand Prix sprint race. In the main race, Ocon finished outside the points after a penalty for an unsafe pit stop release. After the race, he received four more penalties for going off track too many times. His five penalties in one Grand Prix set a record for the most driving penalties in a single Formula One race. He then had to stop racing in two consecutive races: a hydraulics leak at the 2023 British Grand Prix and a first-lap crash at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. He improved from 14th on the grid at the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix to finish eighth and score points.

Ocon had to stop racing at the 2023 Italian Grand Prix for "safety reasons" due to a steering problem. He then had to stop racing from sixth place at the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix due to a gearbox problem. This was his fourth time not finishing a race in six events. He finished seventh at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, even though the hot weather made him sick. His seventh retirement of the season was at the 2023 United States Grand Prix after a crash with Oscar Piastri. Ocon started 16th at the first 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. He avoided crashes and moved up to eighth on the first lap. He climbed to fourth place by the end of the race. He finished the season 12th in the championship with 58 points.

2024: Leaving Alpine

Ocon at the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix

Ocon continued racing with Gasly at Alpine for 2024. Before the season, he mentioned that the team was "on the back foot," meaning they were behind. The Alpine drivers qualified 19th and 20th for the first race, the 2024 Bahrain Grand Prix. Gasly said this was "not a surprise." The Alpine car did not reach the second qualifying session until Ocon did so at the third race, the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. However, Ocon still finished 16th in that race.

Ocon scored Alpine's first points of 2024 at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. He moved from 13th on the grid to finish tenth. He qualified 11th at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix but had to stop racing after crashing with Gasly on track. He apologized and took responsibility for the crash. A week later, Alpine announced Ocon would leave the team at the end of the season. During the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, Alpine used team orders to make Ocon give up ninth place to Gasly. Gasly was in a better position to try and pass Daniel Ricciardo. However, after Gasly failed to pass Ricciardo, Alpine did not ask Gasly to give the place back to Ocon, which upset Ocon. Ocon scored points at the 2024 Spanish Grand Prix and 2024 Belgian Grand Prix.

Ocon did not score points for the next six races. But Alpine achieved a double podium (their first podiums of the year) at the wet 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix. Ocon finished second, and Gasly finished third. Ocon led the race for a while but was passed by the winner, Max Verstappen.

Jack Doohan replaced Ocon for the final race of the season, the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Formula One's website reported that Alpine allowed Ocon to leave the team one race early. This was in exchange for letting him test for Haas after the season. Ocon thanked the team on Instagram and wrote that "this is not how I wanted things to end."

Haas (2025–Present)

Ocon (pictured at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix) signed for Haas in 2025.

Ocon joined Haas on a multi-year deal starting in 2025. He is racing alongside rookie Oliver Bearman. Haas struggled at the first race of the season, the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. However, Ocon finished fifth at the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix after both Ferrari drivers were disqualified. This was his first time scoring points in the VF-25 car. He finished 18th in Japan using a different tire strategy. After crashing in qualifying and starting 14th in Bahrain, Ocon climbed to eighth using an alternate strategy. He finished 14th at the 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Racing Records

Racing Career Summary

* Season still in progress.

Formula One Records

Esteban Ocon holds these interesting Formula One records:

See also

In Spanish: Esteban Ocon para niños