Ocon: Alonso is an inspiration

Esteban Ocon has heaped praise on Fernando Alonso and his ability to still show as much passion for the sport even at his veteran age and his desire to try out other motorsport disciplines, but went on to confess he is fully committed to F1 for the moment.

Alonso is a two-time world champion and is considered to be one of the greatest drivers in the sport. Over the past year he has expressed a desire to go for the motorsport 'triple crown' which includes victories at Le Mans, the Indianapolis 500, and the Monaco Grand Prix.

As part of this pursuit, he will be taking part in the World Endurance Championship this season, and Ocon appreciates his passion to do other projects, even if he himself is not ready yet.

"he (Alonso) is really passionate about racing. He is an inspiration. He is motivated at the age, which is different compared to all the other greats. At the moment, I am fully dedicated to Formula 1 and not thinking about anything else. But in the future, why not? The more I race, the happier I am!”

Last season, Ocon had some on-track spats with team-mate Sergio Perez, but he claims the duo have put ill-feeling behind them and are focusing on doing well for Force India, whilst also setting out some goals for improvement in his personal performance.

“I see it as going good (with Perez). At the end of the year (2017), we had a good relationship. We are working at the factory together. It is all going fine at the moment. It is important that nothing happens on the track.

"I would be happy to start the season stronger. Where I was struggling with (in 2017) was in the first few races and I would like to be stronger there straightaway and then see where I am from there and what I need to improve. But with the experience I have from 2017, I will be able to do that and hopefully achieve the podium I didn’t achieve last year.”