Esteban Ocon, the driver of the French Alpine team confides in the discovery of his new Alpine A522.
The objective of the season for the French driver, and his team, is to get closer to the best of F1, Mercedes and RedBull.
But the young 25-year-old driver sees further and aims to become world champion in the medium term.
From our special correspondent in Barcelona,
A radiant Esteban Ocon in his blue and pink suit, in the colors of his new Alpine A522.
The French driver lent himself, for
20 Minutes
, to the game of questions and answers, including some of our readers, on the sidelines of the first pre-season tests at the end of last week in Barcelona.
The opportunity for him to talk to us about the consequences of the new regulations on F1, the ambitions of his Alpine team this season, his own ambitions and the new generation, of which he is a part, in Formula 1.
How is the adaptation to your new car going?
We did 125 laps on Thursday, and about ten during the promotional day.
We are starting to have a few laps now with this new car, we are starting to understand it very well.
Why is it more important to chain the laps, more than the performance itself?
That's the most important thing, of course, but you also have to understand the car, you can't just do stupid laps.
But it's important for the reliability of the car, to see if everything goes as planned.
So the more laps we do, the more small problems we will see sooner.
But yes, the more runs we will do, the more new tires we will put on, the more understanding we will have.
Did you anticipate famous porpoising [rebound effect of F1 on the track]?
So this one no, it's the only thing we didn't anticipate, no.
I don't think anyone saw this phenomenon coming.
He explains, after me I am not an aero engineer, but I started to understand where it could come from.
We managed to calm him down during the day.
If it happens to everyone, it's because these are the characteristics of the car.
If it doesn't happen in turns, it won't be a problem.
Can you describe to us what you feel in the car with this phenomenon?
Sure, it's surprising, yes.
After that it's something that I had already had in my career when I drove in the German Touring Car Championship.
We had this phenomenon of bouncing at the front like that, where the car did not stop.
It starts weakly, and with inertia, it doesn't stop.
It's really the whole car that hits, it hits very hard, it crushes the ground, you have to be well attached.
Can you explain to us what is "El Plan", which guides the Alpine team?
El Plan is the road to the top.
The progression, succeeding in finding yourself in good positions, Top 5, on the podiums, on the victories.
As we managed to do, rarely last year, but we still managed to position ourselves there a few times.
The walk plan is much more complex, and long, in fact.
So that's a little phrase to say that we work hard to get there.
Is it the ambition of the season, to be more regular?
Yes.
In any case, we don't know exactly where we will be.
For the moment it is too early to say.
It's early to have visibility on the hierarchy.
The important thing is where we start, keep climbing and get closer to the top.
On which part can be made the difference with the new car, do you already know it?
There is everything to work on because everything is new.
The only thing we kept is the steering wheel and the pedals, nothing else was kept.
We have a new engine, a new chassis, new aero, new tyres, new rims, new brakes, everything is new.
There's nothing left that we kept from the old cars, so it's really interesting.
There is a lot to understand.
And concerning the engine, some rumors say that Alpine has gone all out on power, perhaps at the expense of reliability?
We're supposed to have less efficient gasoline with ethanol and biofuel, so I think for everyone it's a little hit on power.
But so far the engine is running very well, there have been no problems and knock on wood.
How do you perceive the growing attraction for F1, is this one of the effects of the Netflix series?
Yes, it's great that F1 is once again becoming a sport that is so popular around the world, and in France.
Yes the Netflix series has helped enormously.
I'm part of a few seasons, it helped notoriety, but it's not something that changes me personally.
I remain the same, I always hang out with the same people, there is no problem there.
But when we arrive at the airport, or when I go to the supermarket, people recognize me.
But it's always benevolent and super nice.
Did the series contribute to your signature at Renault, which has since become Alpine?
So I'm not going to say it's all thanks to Netflix, but yeah I think it put me back in the light at a time when it was kind of dark.
The series came out on shift, at a time when people weren't talking much about me.
Quite simply because I was in the simulator, working in the shadows.
It made me stand out a little bit.
Does the new generation participate in this attraction for F1?
Is it the same approach as the old ones?
Fernando Alonso, my teammate, has a fairly young approach.
But yes, F1 is the youngest it has been for some time.
It is clear that we had a generation in which we fought too much with Charles, Max, with Pierre, with Alex Albon, Lando Norris.
We were all in the same categories, in the same paddocks, at the same time since 2010. We fight tirelessly in all categories.
It forged us, to become who we are now, and now we're all in F1 so it's excellent.
But yes there is a new mentality in F1 which is happening more and more.
What is this new mentality?
Me, for example, I simply don't count my hours.
If I have to go to the simulator three times a week I go there, if I have to go do something for the brand, at the factory in Dieppe, I'll go there without any problem.
We feel privileged to be in F1 and then we have fun.
The F1s have gained another 40 kg compared to last season, isn't this frustrating for the drivers, in search of maximum performance?
Yes it's true that it's been gaining weight for a few years, with hybridization, safety, with these new tires, these new rims, so yes, F1 cars are getting heavier and heavier.
But the future is like that, even road cars are like that.
Only the Alpine A110 is very light, otherwise they are all above 1.3, 1.4 tonnes.
For now these cars are a little slower than the old ones, but they will very quickly become faster than the previous rule.
Does your victory in Hungary last year give you the ambition to return to the top step of the podium this season?
That's always the goal, that's always what I want to accomplish.
I'm not here to participate, my goal is to win and eventually be world champion.
But it is clear that we have a lot of work.
We won't be world champions this year, but what we want is to progress and make up for the deficit we have compared to the best.
I'm lucky to be there for a few years, that's signed, it's recorded.
We have to build these performances, that's the objective.
But it's clear that racing in Hungary means 20 years of work to get here and get this position.
It made me very happy and it will remain engraved.
Like the way Alonso defended himself in front of Hamilton to prevent him from catching you?
Fernando, it's not for me that he did this, it's not for the team either, it's to fight because he has the soul of a competitor and he didn't want not get doubled.
He did what he could and wanted, and he's very hard to pass.
He made an exceptional defense, we won this race and that's the most important thing.
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