Esteban Ocon: Protecting yourself from pressure (E245)

Sharing the experiences from his remarkable journey to F1, Esteban emphasises the significance of self-belief, respect, and attention to detail on the road to high performance.

Esteban Ocon is a French Formula 1 driver racing for the Alpine F1 Team, and is regarded as one of the most talented on the current grid. In this episode, Esteban shares the reality of racing from a young age and the astonishing sacrifices his family chose to make to support his dream.

Esteban reveals the pressure he was under throughout his youth and how his childhood was vastly different to his peers. His parents decided to sell their home and working garage to finance his career, in order to chase his dream of racing in Formula 1. He shares the impact this has had on him as an adult and the immense gratitude he has towards his parents today.

Reflecting on his rise through the ranks, Esteban opens up about the scrutiny and criticism he faced as a young driver. Rather than letting this impact him, he shares with Jake and Damian how he used this as motivation, transforming the negative feedback into inspiration. They discuss his 2019 hiatus from Formula 1 and the invaluable lessons he learnt during this time, observing the workings of the Mercedes team from the sidelines.

This episode is a deep dive into what achieving your dreams looks like, exploring teamwork, self-belief and why trust is so crucial.