Esteban Ocon calls out Drive To Survive for portraying reality in a ‘strange way’

Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon mentioned that he finds it strange how 'Drive to Survive' portrays certain scenarios in the show.

The Netflix show has been a game-changer for the sport as it has brought in new fans and opened new markets. Despite its popularity, the series has received criticism for overdramatizing certain events and faking rivalries for entertainment purposes.

Previously, F1 world champion Max Verstappen refused to appear on the show during its fourth season. Ocon has now become the latest driver to come out and criticize the latest season and how they misinterpreted his comments.

Speaking to PlanetF1, he said:

“It’s reflecting reality but in a strange way. For example, I finished P8 in France and I said [in the show] ‘this was just like a win today." I never said that. I think I probably said that when we finished fifth in Austria or fourth in Japan, but not when I finished eighth in France. These things feel strange, but I guess it’s part of the show and we can’t complain about being on such a highly-viewed platform."

He added:

“I think it’s awesome. Netflix’s been with us a lot this year so far, coming to many different events so we’re probably going to feature quite a bit next season.”

“I feel it’s been a good test" - Esteban Ocon on pre-season test

Esteban Ocon stated that it had been two good days for the French outfit in the pre-season test in Bahrain. He pointed out that he has learned a lot from the first two days of testing.

Speaking to F1.com, he said:

“I feel it’s been a good test. It's good to obviously have a first feel with the proper conditions that we are going to have during the race weekend. Prior to that, it was obviously very different in Europe for the filming days, for the tire [tests].”

Ocon added that both he and Gasly have been sharing the same feedback:

"We’ve learned a lot in the first two days, it’s been not a stressful one. We took it time by time, run by run, and it's a good understanding going on. Very good. At the moment, Pierre has very similar feedback to mine. We complete each other pretty well, so it’s been a good start.”

It would be interesting to see if Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly can guide the French team closer to the top-three teams in the 2023 season.