"It's made with love": Esteban Ocon shares heartwarming explanation of how he safely keeps each and every fan gift

F1 drivers are heroes for fans. As a way to show love for them, fans gift items like fan letters to drivers. Esteban Ocon revealed how important such gifts are to him as a driver. The Frenchman stated that he securely keeps every fan gift that he receives as it is made with love and affection from his supporters.

Ocon is one of the most followed drivers on Instagram, with 2.5 million followers on the Meta-owned platform. This has led to him being flooded with fan gifts year-round, a common occurrence for F1 drivers usually.

However, the problem of handling every gift increases as the payload compounds over a racing season. Despite this, Esteban Ocon revealed that he has to carry an extra suitcase while traveling for the fan gifts that he receives and takes special care of as it is made with love for him. He said, via The Fast and The Curious podcast:

"I end up with having an extra suitcase by mid-season. The team hates me for that, normally. I think that will not change again. Yeah, I basically collect all the fan letters, the fan gifts and I keep them. I bring them back to my place it's something that's been made with love and is very important to me. I would be an awful person if I was just throwing it away."

The Normandy-born driver left Alpine after five years with the Enstone-based outfit and joined Haas for the 2025 season.

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Esteban Ocon shares his experience on early days with Haas

Esteban Ocon at the Formula 1 Testing in Bahrain - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Ocon's first taste of Haas machinery came at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. However, this test came at a cost, as he had to leave Alpine one race earlier to get a release from his contract to take part in the post-season test with the American outfit.

Esteban Ocon then got behind the 2025 challenger in Silverstone at a shakedown run and the pre-season testing in Bahrain. This has helped the 28-year-old get in sufficient mileage to get in the groove with the VF-25.

Reflecting on his time with Haas in its initial stages, the Frenchman said, via Motors Inside:

"We were able to do a lot of laps during the last day of testing. There is still performance to come, and it was a pleasant feeling to drive in good conditions with the other cars on the track. It was good testing on my part with no issues to report and according to the established plan. I am now well prepared before arriving in Australia."

The F1 Australian Grand Prix will host the season opener on March 16. Ocon has had a myriad of results around Albert Park Circuit. He recorded his best finish at the track in 2022, when he finished seventh.

Esteban Ocon will hope to start his new journey with Haas on the front foot by scoring points on his debut race with the team.