Red Bull Content Pool
F1 News
Ocon admits he is 'not a big fan of rules' as he agrees with Verstappen
Esteban Ocon admits that is is "not the biggest fan of the rules" that have come under some scrutiny over the past couple of weeks. The FIA's guidelines surrounding attacking and defending while overtaking have been a talking point after both the United States and Mexican Grands Prix, and it looks like changes to the regulations could be made this season.
Battles between title protagonist Max Verstappen and Lando Norris in Austin and Mexico City have led to this discussion surrounding he rules and regulations. Norris received a penalty in the USA for overtaking off the track and gaining an advantage with Verstappen defending hard, but a week later, with Verstappen defending once again, he was given two ten-second time penalties for forcing Norris off the track.
The consistency of the decision-making by the stewards is the main taking point, but Ocon, like Verstappen, hopes that the changes that are made from these discussions will not restrict racing on the track.
"I'm not very much into that conversation," Ocon responded when asked where Formula 1 currently stands in the discussion about the current regulations. "I’m not in the fight for the championship. I have a very different opinion from most people on how to place your car while defending. I’m not the biggest fan of rules in general."
The Frenchman continued on, hoping that racing in the premier class of motorsport can continue to be aggressive: "I think it's nice for everyone, for the show also to have such fights at the front. It's going to be tight until the end of the year. That’s what we like to see. A tight championship. As long as this happens I think it's good for F1, it's good for the show, it's good for everyone."
At the moment, the regulations tend to favour the attacking driver. The moment a driver gets to the apex of the corner first, the corner, and therefore the position, is his. "It's always case by case. It's always different. Track limits and if there is a wall, if there is grass, if there is tarmac, it's always a different interpretation it's. It's not easy for anyone to really understand what the limit is," said the Alpine driver when asked for his opinion on that point.
Ocon wants to keep racing hard
"When we race and when we learn to race, when we are young, we always favouriting the guy who's on the inside. When you're in a go-kart, the guys who are on the inside will never take you around the outside. That's always how it is. Obviously, this is car racing, it's a lot heavier. There's a lot of things that come into play, and it's a lot faster speed... But I like a bit of a fight, and when it's very close, we should not take that away."
As a result, Ocon is hoping that the regulations will free up drivers to race more aggressively: "Especially for a championship fight, you should be able to fight. Whoever comes out best, comes out best. I would like that."
This article was created in collaboration with Corwin Kunst
Want more Formula 1? Then follow GPblog on our various social media channels!