Ocon thankful for Ricciardo 2020 "benchmark"
Ocon thankful for Ricciardo 2020 "benchmark"
Esteban Ocon has described former Renault team-mate Daniel Ricciardo as a "very, very good benchmark" to have had upon his return to Formula 1 last year.
Ocon made his F1 comeback with the French manufacturer after a year out from the sport and was outclassed by Ricciardo across the majority of the season.
Ricciardo has moved to McLaren for 2021 and, as Renault rebrands as Alpine, Ocon will be joined by two-time champion Fernando Alonso who returns to the sport after two years out.
Of his former team-mate, Ocon said: "He was a very, very good benchmark for me around a lot of things.
"He was always pushing and extracting the best from the car, and that had been pushing me and my side of the garage as well because you need to get that car around the track in the fastest way possible and I was learning that alongside Daniel.
"So, that was good to have him as a benchmark for my return."
While Ocon's performances in individual races were often strong, the Frenchman ended 2020 12th on 62 points while Ricciardo finished fifth on 119 points.
However, a maiden F1 podium for Ocon in the Sakhir Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the year, will undoubtedly provide the Alpine driver with a much-needed confidence boost heading into the new season.
Assessing his season as a whole, Ocon, who appeared in Q2 only eight times from a possible 17, identified his Saturday qualifying performance as an area he needs to improve on.
"It’s definitely better on one lap and that’s the progression I am looking for," he added.
"I’ve been trying to sort that out to improve our weekend construction and how I approach qualifying, and I feel like we’ve done that pretty well. The more I do, the better I feel in the car."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 Sprint Qualifying Results: Chinese Grand Prix 2024 times as Verstappen stunned in rainy CHAOS
- 27 minutes ago
F1 Results Today: Chinese Grand Prix practice times as SURPRISE driver tops charts
- Today 06:47
Another bizarre fire STOPS action at Chinese Grand Prix
- 42 minutes ago
EXCLUSIVE: Hamilton and Ferrari chief had meals together years before 2025 signing
- 1 hour ago
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- 1 hour ago
Young F1 star set to make McLaren debut in injury replacement
- 1 hour ago
Related news
Marko suggests 'exciting' move to REPLACE Ricciardo
Ricciardo SNUBS team-mate in 'pressure' claim
Ricciardo gives VITAL life advice with F1 twist
F1 rival gives important update on Ricciardo replacement rumours
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860