15 January, 2021
Esteban Ocon had an underwhelming 2020 season at Renault alongside Daniel Ricciardo, the Frenchman more often than not outshone by the Australian who has departed the team.
For 2021, Esteban remains with the team and welcomes double-F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso in the Alpine F1 Team garage.
Despite his so-so season, Esteban has revealed how he never felt pressured by his boss Cyril Abiteboul who will no longer be in his corner as he apparently was last year when the 24-year-old needed to raise his game.
He told Motorsport-Total: “I didn’t feel the pressure to get a result or to have to drive an incredible race or anything like that.”
Formula 1 Reading Time: 2min read
Renault Sport Academy Director Mia Sharizman was damning with faint praise when talking about the team’s junior drivers looking back on 2020.
Renault head into 2021 with a new name as they rebrand to Alpine, as well as bringing back their 2005 & 2006 World Champion Fernando Alonso to partner Esteban Ocon.
The stated goal of finding a junior driver to nurture and bring up to Formula 1 for 2021 hasn’t been achieved, with the Renault Sport Academy’s leading junior drivers yet to find a place on the grid.
Guanyu Zhou and Christian Lundgaard racing in Formula 2 in 2020, with the Chinese driver finishing P6 and the Dane in P7.