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Laurent Rossi spoke about the difficulty Esteban Ocon faces while referring to his performance as a 'second driver'. Rossi feels that Ocon hasn't had a very 'easy linear path' in Formula 1.
Rossi, the CEO of Alpine, talked about the career path that the Frenchman Ocon has had in the sport. He feels that the driver didn't have enough time with any of the teams he has raced with to get comfortable. Hence, he could not live up to the racing potential he has.
Speaking on the same, Laurent Rossi justified the multi-year contract Esteban Ocon has with Alpine. He stated, while speaking on the Beyond the Grid podcast, that he made all the arrangements to make Ocon comfortable in the team.
"There’s no mystery about the fact that I’ve very quickly tried to make Esteban feel comfortable in the team. Because Esteban, what was remarkable about this boy is that he has never had an easy linear path. Every single year almost he was told ‘That’s it, that’s over, that’s the end of the road with us and you need to find another gig next year’. Which is super difficult, especially in a career like that. You need a bit of a runway, right?"
Laurent Rossi believes Esteban Ocon has had a positive impact after being with Alpine
Esteban Ocon has had his share of success with Alpine over the time he has spent with the French outfit. The Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021 saw him clinching his first Formula 1 victory.
Although since that race, he is yet to climb to the top step of the podium, he did manage to outperform Fernando Alonso, who was his teammate the previous season.
Alonso's downfall with Alpine was marked by engine failures. Yet, it still was quite an achievement.
When asked if Ocon has had a positive growth in Alpine with the 'comfortable' experience, Rossi replied positively, saying:
"He started driving more efficiently and putting things together for the long term, not trying to impress everyone at every race, which is a very different thing because he was taking inconsiderate risks and he was basically driving, perhaps without knowing, with that fear that he had to potentially lose his seat on that race."
Though Esteban Ocon seems to have had a good time with the team, the start of the 2023 season hasn't been quite his way. After some errors from the team, he had a total of 15 seconds of time penalty, ruining his race, and eventually retiring.
Though his teammate for this year, Pierre Gasly, scored some points, there is still some work that remains with Ocon.
