Esteban Ocon has faced a lot of steep battles to earn his spot in F1. He did not have a well-financed junior racing career in his childhood like some of his peers. Thus, this would lead the French driver to borrow second-hand equipment from other drivers at races. Ocon revealed some of these anecdotes on the High-Performance podcast. Amid this, the Alpine driver also mentioned how his father designed a piece of safety equipment for his go-kart to ensure he never failed despite the second-hand equipment.
Ocon said, “I knew my go-kart would never fail. For example, there was always a safety in it. He was the one creating that safety on the sprocket with the chain to have bigger sprockets on the side and never have the chain jumping you know like the bicycles when you have the chain going off.”
The effect of this safety equipment was to avoid any oscillations of the chain when Ocon was going at full speed in races. He cited that they ensured “double safety” in the kart because of this. The 27-year-old added, “So when I was going on a kerb the chain was never jumping”.
The equipment in question is a sprocket chain that is quite similar to a bicycle chain. Thus, the oscillations or the chain going off could be an impediment for karting drivers. Ocon’s father was a smart mechanic, the French driver claimed and thus he designed this safety system.
Although, back then he did not know that they could patent it and could earn good money out of the system. Ocon highlighted how people sell these systems nowadays as ancillary parts for go-karts. Had Ocon’s father filed for patent rights, he could have received good royalties on his safety equipment design.
Esteban Ocon hypes up his father’s mechanical skills
Esteban Ocon highlighted on the High Performance podcast, “My dad is probably the best mechanic I know. Clearly I can comfortably say that. One day I would love for him to work in Formula 1.”
The Frenchman’s ambitions in F1 are quite high and he would certainly love for his father to be in the paddock with him. Ocon knows that there are multiple technicalities and challenges his father would face to become an F1 mechanic. Still, he thinks his father can do it.
There are always people who may criticize or discourage you whenever you look to pick up a new challenge. Ocon and his family have faced it firsthand. However, the 27-year-old doesn’t mind all that criticism as long as he has got his family backing him.
The #31 driver mentioned that he often does gestures such as hugging his parents at home after coming back from races to show his gratitude for all that they have done.
