Esteban Ocon took to Instagram following ‘abuse and negativity’ he faced after his lap 1 incident with teammate Pierre Gasly.
Ocon made an ambitious move on Gasly into Portier in the opening lap of the Monaco GP. The dive down the inside led to a collision between the teammates. Launching Ocon into the air and ending his race.
Gasly criticised his teammate for not following the team orders of helping the leading car and Bruno Famin added fuel to the fire when stating he was going to ‘take drastic action’ following the incident.
Famin’s comment led to widespread speculation that reserve driver Jack Doohan would replace Ocon at the Canadian Grand Prix. Effectively benching him as punishment.
However, in his Instagram statement, Ocon reaffirmed that he was ‘looking forward’ to racing in Canada. Making it clear he would was not being sidelined.
Ocon went on to make it clear that the ‘misinformed statements and gross distortions’ seen online about his ability to work within a team were ‘inaccurate, hurtful and damaging.’
Monaco is notoriously difficult to overtake in. This year the top 10 finished in the same places they started. The Frenchman noted this as a reason for being ambitious.
“there is no reward without risk in Formula One – and race starts are intense, even more so in Monaco.”
Esteban Ocon has also faced a lot of criticism surrounding his work as a teammate, and his ability to work effectively in a team.
This follows a strenuous relationship he had with Fernando Alonso, where they often had incidents on track. As well as his relationship with Pierre Gasly who, despite growing up together, have struggled as teammates.
Ocon reminded fans that “as teammates, we would often start races very close to each other, which in some cases meant some tough battles on track, and sometimes contact.”
Contact, especially between teammates, is not unheard of or even rare in Formula One. It is often said that your teammate is your biggest competition due to them being the only direct comparison car-wise.
No matter the driver or situation, respect should always be shown. Ocon echoed this sentiment by saying, “I have made honest mistakes. We are not robots; we are athletes pushing ourselves to the limit every day to achieve our dreams of winning races.”
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