“I have won more titles” - Esteban Ocon gives his verdict on who was better between him and Pierre Gasly during their karting days

Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, recently delved into their shared history as childhood friends from their karting days in the latest season of Formula 1: Drive To Survive.

When Gasly joined Alpine from AlphaTauri (now known as Racing Bulls) at the beginning of the 2023 campaign, the Frenchman brought in a shared history with his new teammate Ocon. The Normandy natives used to be close friends in their karting days until a last-lap incident in a 2008 go-kart race strained their relationship.

In the sixth episode of the latest season of the Netflix show, when reminiscing about their days as go-kart drivers and the incident in 2008 that strained their relationship, Esteban Ocon revealed:

"We were very close friends when we were younger. The first time he stepped in a go-kart was my go-kart."

When asked to weigh in on who he believed was the superior karting driver between them, the 27-year-old replied:

"I have won more titles."

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Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon share their views on the firing of Otmar Szafnauer

Entering the 2023 season, Alpine were coming off a strong campaign which saw them finish 4th in the Constructors' standings. However, despite their aspirations of a top 3 finish in the previous season, the team looked far off their form from 2022.

Once the season kicked off on a disappointing note for the French outfit, the team made a shock move following the Belgian Grand Prix to part ways with team principal Otmar Szafnauer.

Reflecting on his sacking, Pierre Gasly expressed the need for improved communication and understanding within the team. He said in the aforementioned episode:

"Something is not clicking somewhere. Clearly, the communication hasn’t been to the best level. And, I think it’s something very important, as a team principal, is to understand what your drivers actually need. So now we need to do the work and deliver."

Similarly, Esteban Ocon echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of effective communication and collaboration within the team. He said:

"It’s important to work well, you know, inside the team. To have a close relationship, in a way. To talk about the things that are important. At the moment, we are not doing that. No one is happy inside the team. I think Otmar needs to find out some solutions."