Any Formula 1 driver can rightfully say they didn’t quite have the same childhood as regular kids, but that’s even truer as far as Esteban Ocon is concerned.
Ocon’s parents ran his early karting career on a tight budget; they even had to sell their house and automobile repair shop and live in a caravan to make ends meet, with father Laurent his mechanic and engineer.
While the youngster won multiple French championships and moved on to international competitions, the ever-increasing travelling requirements took a toll on his schedule – as well as his ability to mingle with his classmates and his academic prospects.
“I’d come home from the race on Sunday night; in the morning I’d wake up in front of the school,” Ocon recounted in an interview on French YouTube channel Legend. “It was easier that way when we drove back, as we didn’t exactly have a place to stay. We stayed at my cousin’s most of the time, we parked our caravan there. But as it was already very late, we gained time by parking in front of the school, then I went straight to class.
“So no, I didn’t have a lot of friends. Many told me: ‘You’re a gypsy, what are you doing here?’. I have great respect for the itinerant community – they actually sold us the caravan! [My classmates] made fun of me, and it wasn’t easy, for sure.
“I missed quite a lot of classes, because on Fridays we needed to go to free practice. Even the school’s headmaster, at the time, told me: ‘You’ve got to stop doing this. Frankly, you’re not going anywhere. This is a rich man’s sport. There’s no point in you doing this.’ Well, sir, thanks for ruining my dreams, but I made it!
“It’s sad, telling a 10- or 11-year-old child that he can’t make his dream come true.”
Ocon said he moved to long-distance schooling when he was 14, with teachers mailing him lesson plans that his mother Sabrina led. He eventually was signed by the Enstone-linked Gravity Sport Management agency, which boosted his career until he joined the Mercedes young driver programme following his European F3 title success.
“I do not recommend doing what we did to any youngsters, because school is very important,” the current Haas driver insisted. “You need to work hard at school, you never know what the future has in store for you.”
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