‘A bittersweet taste’ – Esteban Ocon reflects on ‘emotional’ milestone and Alpine career as he marks 150 F1 races

“It’s a big number for sure,” Ocon told the media ahead of the weekend. “I didn’t see the time going, time flies when you have fun, that’s what people say! I didn’t know [the milestone] before I came to this event – I just saw that the team did a special post for it and it’s pretty cool to achieve such a milestone.

“There’s a lot of races now a year and that’s why the time flew so quickly. I guess you just go race by race and travel all around the world one after another and think about the present moment, but it is quite emotional.”

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The Frenchman claimed both his and Alpine’s first win at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, where he avoided collisions in mixed weather conditions to beat the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel and take victory.

Since then, the team have established themselves firmly in the midfield, though the 2024 campaign has been a disappointment of late – they are currently on 13 points, sandwiched between Haas and Williams in the constructors’ standings.

Ocon added: “I think it’s 100 races as well with this team – we’ve achieved a lot. There’s a bittersweet taste a little bit with what we’ve achieved because there was some great stuff, but we would’ve liked a little bit more of course. I’m here for the remaining season and I’m going to try and do the best I can with what I’ve got.”