In F1, drivers try to be cordial with each other, but not everyone gets along well. Some have held animosity against others for years. Esteban Ocon’s relationship, or lack of it, with Max Verstappen is a classic case of this.
Ocon and Verstappen’s rivalry blew up at the 2018 Brazilian GP, where the Frenchman crashed into the Dutchman’s car, forcing a spin. Verstappen was so livid that he went to Ocon’s garage after the race and got into a physical altercation. Others had to intervene to separate the two.
However, that’s not where the Ocon vs. Verstappen rivalry began. It started 11 years ago when both of them were in F3, fighting to get into the pinnacle of motorsport.
There wasn’t one particular race or instance that flared the tensions. It was rather a mix of off-track politics, which Ocon believes helped Verstappen get a seat in F1 before he did. After all, Ocon had won the F3 European title in 2014, while Verstappen finished P3.
“Max not winning the title, and finishing third and going into F1, and me not even having an option to continue racing? That was tough to swallow for sure,” Ocon said in an interview. “And I was very p**sed off.”
Red Bull were eyeing Verstappen during the time Ocon was battling with him for the F3 crown. And in 2014 itself, Max made his Grand Prix weekend debut at Suzuka, driving the Red Bull car in FP1.
As far as the Milton Keynes-based team was concerned, Verstappen was ready for the big league. In the next season, Red Bull’s sister team Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) roped him in, kickstarting his journey to the top.
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Ocon, meanwhile, had to drift around the junior categories one more year before eventually finding his way to a permanent spot on the grid via Manor Racing in 2016. But was his omission in favor of Verstappen truly unfair?
Ocon was the most consistent driver of the 2014 F3 European season, winning nine races. But Verstappen set the grid ablaze with his fiery results toward the end, which included six consecutive race victories. His total win tally also superseded Ocon’s by one.
Often in junior categories, mapping out who the best fit is for their F1 team is a difficult task for scouts. Red Bull indeed hit the jackpot by getting Verstappen on board.
Fast forward to 2025, and he’s a 64-time race winner and a four-time world champion. Max helped Red Bull establish itself as a force to be reckoned with in the sport.
In comparison, Ocon’s career has been rather inconsistent. After his debut season with Manor, he joined Silverstone-based team Force India (now Aston Martin), spending two seasons with them before getting sidelined for a whole campaign.
He returned in 2020 with Renault and spent five seasons with the team before moving to Haas in 2025. The 28-year-old will now hope to taste more success with the American squad and add to his one Grand Prix win.
