Esteban Ocon: from tears to triumph with Alpine

05/18/22 • 40 min

1 Listener

From frustration which drove him to tears in 2019, to an incredible F1 victory in 2021, Esteban Ocon has felt the extreme lows and highs of a racing driver’s life. After losing his race seat at Force India, Ocon spent a season as reserve driver for Mercedes in 2019. A year of ‘low moments’ opened his eyes to what he jokingly calls ‘the dark side’ of F1 – the off-track negotiations which can determine a driver’s future just as much on-track results. Wiser and more determined, Esteban returned to racing with Renault in 2020, scored his first podium and became a Grand Prix winner with Alpine. On his return to F1 Beyond The Grid, the Frenchman tells Tom Clarkson all about that chapter of his life, and looks ahead to the story he’s determined to write with Alpine. Plus, F1 friendships, the importance of clean racing, and why he sees the Spanish Grand Prix as a home race.
Related episodes from the BTG archive
Esteban Ocon’s first appearance
Fernando Alonso, Esteban’s Alpine teammate
Otmar Szafnauer on Force India’s administration
Mick Schumacher
Lance Stroll
This episode is sponsored by:
Calm: Get an exclusive offer of 40% off a Calm Premium subscription at calm.com/GRID
F1 Manager: Launching on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, Summer 2022. Visit F1manager.com to Wishlist the game on your platform of choice and follow @F1Manager on Twitter to stay up to speed
Babbel: Get six months free with a purchase of a 6-month subscription with promo code GRID.

Previous Episode

Gilles Villeneuve Remembered

40 years ago, in May 1982, Formula 1 lost a marvellous maverick. No-one else drove a car quite like Gilles Villeneuve. He lost his life in a crash while at the very peak of his racing powers. In this special episode, those who knew Gilles share their memories and stories with Tom Clarkson. F1 World Champions Mario Andretti and Jody Scheckter and 7-time Grand Prix winner Rene Arnoux raced alongside Villeneuve and were close to him as friends. Jonathan Giacobazzi idolised Gilles; his family’s name appeared as a sponsor on the Canadian’s race suit, and their families travelled the racetracks of Europe together. Jochen Mass was also a good friend of Villeneuve – a fact that makes his blameless involvement in the crash which claimed his life even more tragic. They remember Gilles as a person, a teammate, a rival and a friend, and consider why he is still so adored, 40 years after his death.
This episode is sponsored by:
Credit Karma: Head to creditkarma.com/loanoffers to see personalized offers
LinkedIn Jobs: Go to linkedin.com/GRID to post a job for free. Terms and
conditions apply.
F1 Manager: Launching on PC, PlayStation and Xbox, Summer 2022. Visit F1manager.com to Wishlist the game on your platform of choice and follow @F1Manager on Twitter to stay up to speed

Next Episode

James Key: McLaren's tech mastermind

McLaren technical director James Key is one of the youngest tech chiefs in Formula One. He’s very bright, he’s super-organised and he’s ultra-competitive, all attributes that he’s using to drive the team back to the top of the sport. In this episode, James opens up to Tom Clarkson about McLaren’s difficult start to the 2022 season, when their cars finished 14th and 15th in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and how the team pulled together in the days that followed to improve the MCL36. Only three races later Lando Norris finished third at Imola. James also gives a fascinating insight into what it’s like to work with McLaren drivers Norris and Daniel Ricciardo, and how they're adjusting to the new 2022-spec cars, and he hints at what we can expect from them as the season unfolds. We also hear about James' journey to F1, the technological advances he's been a part of, the highs, the lows and most importantly: what the future holds for McLaren.
:
Related episodes from the BTG archive:
Lando Norris Daniel Ricciardo Andreas Seidl, McLaren Team Principal Zak Brown, McLaren CEO
Steve Nichols, Engineer Alain Prost
Mika Hakkinen
This episode is sponsored by:
Formula 1 Eyewear: Check out their Red, Gold and Trackside Collections of eyewear with their at formulaeyewear.com
Shopify: visit shopify.com/beyondthegrid for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features
Hello Fresh: go to hellofresh.com/grid16 and use code grid16 for up to 16 free meals AND 3 free gifts!