"I think I’ve found my dream job!"- Yuki Tsunoda, George Russell, and Esteban Ocon's banter on lightweight drivers having an advantage at Le Mans

George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, and Esteban Ocon recently had a light-hearted banter about how lightweight drivers could be faster in Le Mans. Tsunoda joked about how he found his dream job since he is one of the lightest drivers on the F1 grid.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most prestigious races in motorsport where drivers race against each other for 24 hours straight. A team consists of three drivers working together to win the race in their respective category or overall.

While F1 has a minimum weight rule of 80 with a race kit, Le Mans does not have any such weight rule for drivers. Hence, F1 drivers will mostly be on the heavier side compared to other WEC drivers.

During the Monaco GP press conference, George Russell, Yuki Tsunoda, and Esteban Ocon discussed the massive advantage lighter drivers could enjoy at Le Mans. Russell estimated that drivers like Yuki Tsunoda, who is one of the lightest F1 drivers in the current grid, will have six-tenths of a second advantage per lap over those who are 80 kilos with race kit.

Esteban Ocon was quite surprised after hearing the massive advantage. He and Russell calculated how 20 kilos of weight could make a difference of six-tenths of a second a lap. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda chimed in and joked that he had finally found his dream job, which was to race at Le Mans.

"We're all sort of 80 kilos with our kit and our helmets. And you know, Yuki would have six tenths on us before we even start. So, but as I said, I think it's a very special race. I think we're all racers," Russell explained.

"Six tenths a lap!?" Ocon exclaimed.

"Well, 20 kilos, 20 kilos. I think 20 kilos, six tenths a lap?" the Mercedes driver guessed.

"I think I’ve found my dream job!" Tsunoda laughed.

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Esteban Ocon open to competing in Le Mans while being focused on F1

Esteban Ocon showed interest in participating in Le Mans even though he is currently committed to F1.

He spoke about the endurance race when Alpine revealed the A424 Hypercar for the 2024 WEC (World Endurance Championship) series. The French driver said that he is waiting for a few drivers to start participating in Le Mans while being in F1. He added that though he is completely focused on F1, he would like to race in one of the longest endurance races in the world.

"The focus is always 2,000% on Formula 1, but I think as soon as one F1 driver will do Le Mans while the F1 season is going, many more drivers will do so, and I'm waiting for that moment to see what happens," Ocon said (via RacingNews365)

As of now, Esteban Ocon is struggling with Alpine in F1. After the first eight races in the 2024 season, he only managed to bag one championship point. He currently stands in 16th place in the drivers' table.