F1 News
Esteban Ocon on year away from racing: “It helps me understand what teams want"
Esteban Ocon has spent a year on the sidelines for Mercedes, but the Frenchman has been learning lots from watching and listening to all those around him at Mercedes. Ocon is at all the Grand Prix's and spends hours driving on the simulator each week. The things he has learnt this season will put him in a great position for wherever he ends up next year.
“It helps me understand from a team point of view what a team wants from a driver,” Ocon said to the official F1 website. “This is the aspect I have learned the most.
"Spending a lot of time with the team, listening more to the team than to the drivers. I’m plugged to the wall, working in the sim. I’m hearing a lot more the team, than the drivers. I hear 35% the driver and the rest is all the team.
"I see what they need from a driver, and also the way they want to approach things.”
Having learnt so much this year it will be interesting to see how much faster Ocon will be if he gets a driving seat for next season.