Esteban Ocon may be a driver for Haas but he also felt like a fan when he saw Lewis Hamilton get a rousing reception from the Tifosi at Maranello. Since Haas uses the same site as Ferrari for their simulator work, the Frenchman got to witness the raucous crowd firsthand.
“I was there the same day at Maranello in the simulator and I can tell you the support that was there was incredible for him, for Ferrari,” Ocon began by telling talkSPORT before explaining what the partnership of Hamilton and Ferrari means for the sport as a whole.
The Frenchman is also switching teams for the 2025 season amid a plethora of drivers including Hamilton. But he understands that none of the other driver moves mean much compared to the seven-time world champion’s switch to Ferrari.
Like Ocon, many figures of the paddock like Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, Andrea Stella, Carlos Sainz, and Oscar Piastri among others have underscored the significance of Hamilton donning the red overalls of the Scuderia.
The Briton’s arch-rival Verstappen feels that this team switch could provide Hamilton with a much-needed change of scenery. Meanwhile, Norris backed up Hamilton’s choice to part ways with Mercedes, stating that he would’ve done the same being in the 40-year-old’s place.
While Hamilton’s struggles of late have been under the radar, his Ferrari debut is getting all the hype as two of F1’s most successful entities are joining hands.
“It is incredible for sure to see the driver with the most titles going into the most titled team as well,” Ocon added.
Grazie Tifosi pic.twitter.com/TNxYcE2Dfq
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 20, 2025
Although the 2025 Haas driver did not get to personally speak with Hamilton while he was in Maranello, his admiration for the seven-time champion was evident. The 28-year-old is well aware of the aura that Hamilton carries, having worked alongside him at Mercedes in 2019 when he was serving as a reserve driver for the side.
Ocon once revealed what “amazed” him about Hamilton
With Hamilton statistically being F1’s most successful driver ever, it seems obvious that his rivals would look up to him to try and learn some traits that they can adopt to improve. Ocon did something similar when he was at Mercedes back in 2019 after being replaced by Lance Stroll at Racing Point (now Aston Martin).
Speaking of what amazed him most about Hamilton, Ocon said, “Seeing how he (Hamilton) switched his focus from one thing to another… That kind of amazed me”. And Hamilton was able to do this brilliantly due to his habit of taking notes.
“He (Hamilton) was always having notes not to forget things from one year to another or from one session to another and this is what I do as well now,” Ocon further explained. “I was not taking notes before then and now I have all my notes inside my phone”.
It seems that just one year of working with Hamilton has done Ocon a world of good and the Frenchman will now hope to use the same experience along with his racing ability on track to get the best results possible for Haas this year.
As for Hamilton, nothing would excite him and the Tifosi more than to win a record eighth world championship in the Scarlet Red of Ferrari.
