F1 star linked with team exit was 'uncoachable' and 'defensive', claims former race engineer

Esteban Ocon

F1 star linked with team exit was 'uncoachable' and 'defensive', claims former race engineer

Not the most flattering comments

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Friday 21 August 2026 20:45

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Former F1 race engineer Mark Slade has claimed that Esteban Ocon was 'uncoachable' and 'defensive' during their time working together.

Slade has worked in F1 for years in a variety of engineering roles, including for teams such as McLaren, Mercedes, Lotus, Renault, and Haas.

It was during his time at Renault that he crossed paths with Ocon, for whom he was race engineer in the 2020 season.

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At that time, Ocon was in his fourth season in F1, returning to the sport after a hiatus from the grid full-time in 2019.

Slade and Ocon only worked as race engineer and driver for that one season, with the latter going on to leave Renault as they transitioned to Alpine.

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Mark Slade issues verdict on Esteban Ocon

Speaking on the Peter Windsor YouTube channel, Slade singled out Kimi Raikkonen as a driver he previously worked with who was easiest to manage in terms of taking on feedback and suggestions out on track.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Slade claimed that some drivers didn't want to listen or weren't capable of making the changes.

“I don't want to be rude, but a French driver I ran at Renault, Esteban Ocon, was uncoachable," Slade claimed. “You couldn't have those discussions with him. Just wasn't interested. He always knew better than you, it was quite hard.

“And the thing is that the guy is talented. Absolutely. No question he's talented. But incredibly defensive and just wasn't willing to have the discussions or always had another reason why that wouldn't work or something.

“It was just really really tough to work with. And okay, it may be that another engineer was able to work with him better and had a more successful relationship, which is fine.

“You know, that's that does happen. Sometimes you click with people and sometimes you don't.”

Ocon linked with Haas exit

Ocon has since established himself as an experienced F1 driver, remaining in the sport full-time since he and Slade went their separate ways, first at Alpine and more recently at Haas.

However, rumours over his Haas future continue to swirl, with his current contract with the team set to expire at the end of 2026.

Haas are even planning on giving test drives to the likes of Rafa Camara, Ryo Hirakawa and Leonardo Fornaroli, and team principal Ayao Komatsu says that the team would not be testing them if they were not interested in the drivers.