Alonso myth debunked following F1 return

Esteban Ocon has debunked the myth Fernando Alonso is "very difficult to work with" after completing their first year together at Alpine.

It is understood Alonso has built a reputation over the years for proving awkward as a team-mate, a reputation that dates back to his initial stint at McLaren in 2007 alongside then-rookie Lewis Hamilton.

Unaware of what to expect from the two-time F1 champion, Ocon revealed in a post-season media briefing including GPFans that he was relieved to find these rumours to be incorrect.

“Yes, I heard a lot of that for sure," said Ocon. "A lot of people said, obviously, that Fernando was very difficult to work with, that he had a reputation, to breaking team-mates and all that, but I wanted to see it from my eyes.

"I wanted to see if what people were saying was true, and in the end, it wasn't. We just had a fantastic collaboration altogether."

Paying tribute to the extreme pace of Alonso, Ocon revealed what he believes to be one of the Spaniard's key strengths.

“Just the way Fernando thinks out of the box, where some of the drivers will not think about, or even the team will not think about some stuff, sometimes," Ocon explained.

"It's pushing the limit to strategies or how we can optimise everything. In that regard, I've definitely learned a lot."

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