Childhood friendships shattered on the karting track as a fierce rivalry unfolded, and a final-lap collision transformed these French teammates into Formula 1’s frostiest foes.
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are the only French drivers on the current Formula 1 grid, but why don't they get along? Both drivers began their careers around the same time; therefore, many believe they might have a close relationship after decades of following similar paths in their professional careers.
Gasly started karting in 2006, while Ocon began a year earlier, racing mini-karts in 2004 and 2005. This led them to become very close as they grew up, and things got serious in 2009, when they competed in the KF3 category of the WSK International Series. In a 2018 interview, Gasly stated that this was when things began to get tense.
Pierre recalls trying to overtake Esteban in the final corner of the last lap during a battle for third place at the Bridgestone Cup; the two made contact, resulting in Ocon finishing fourth with Gasly ahead of him. He marks this as the moment their friendship hit the rocks, followed by another incident the next year when Ocon collided with Gasly again.
Their careers took different paths from then on: Pierre made the jump to single-seaters in 2011 in F4, while Esteban did so a year later in Formula Renault. The roles were reversed a couple of years later; Ocon made the leap to the premier category in 2016 with Manor Racing. Gasly, a member of the Red Bull academy, entered the category with AlphaTauri in 2017 and later had the opportunity to move up to the main seat of Red Bull Racing alongside Max Verstappen.
It is curious, to say the least, that two drivers of the same nationality, similar age, and at comparable stages in their careers do not have a close relationship or even show any rapport in front of the cameras. This began to fuel rumors and questions about whether there was a serious conflict between the French drivers at the same time that F1 is experiencing a period of maximum exposure with the drivers on social media.
When Gasly and Ocon are asked about it in their media appearances, both drivers avoid giving a definitive answer and instead refer to the situation as a personal matter that happened in the past. While Ocon is at Haas surrounded by rumors about the possibility of being replaced, Gasly is still trying to regain the form that took him to Red Bull Racing in 2019, all while serving as the undisputed leader of Alpine—the team where he is teammates with Franco Colapinto.
