Alpine Driver Esteban Ocon Discusses Liam Lawson’s Red Bull Departure

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon has weighed in on the sudden exit of Liam Lawson from Red Bull, expressing his sympathy for the New Zealander and stating that it is “something I don’t wish for any drivers.” After a challenging start to his rookie Formula One season, Red Bull decided to move Lawson back to its sister team, Racing Bulls, following the Chinese Grand Prix.

Ocon’s Sympathy for Lawson and Tsunoda’s Opportunity

Speaking to Motorsport.com and other media outlets in Suzuka, Ocon addressed the replacement of Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda, stating, “I mean, there’s two sides of the story there. Obviously, a very difficult one for Liam, and that’s something I don’t wish for any drivers to have lived through.” He continued, “You know, the pressure he must have been going through and not having much support from what I’ve seen from the outside of his team is a difficult task. You always want to work with the people around you.

Ocon went on to express his admiration for Lawson, stating, “And obviously, if it’s not going well, you want time as a driver to be able to fix things. So yeah, I like Liam a lot. He’s a great guy. And, you know, it was not nice to see what he went through, but he’s still in Formula 1, and he’s in a very competitive car as well.

Ocon also emphasized the importance of having a strong support system from an F1 team. He added, “Yeah, it is very important because, obviously, having the confidence, having the support with the people you work with… People try and look with you on where things are not going right and they trust you in the process of improving step by step.

Ocon’s Experience with Team Support Systems

Ocon, who was part of the Mercedes driver development programme, shared his own experiences with team support systems. He stated, “When it’s not going well, and people already have their opinion and it’s not going the way you want, well, you know, you are on for a not successful story, really. Because in the back of people’s mind, you know that their decision has been made.

He continued, “If you take a decision and go for it, you need to stick to it or give as much time as you can. I guess if there is a lot of pressure with points straight away, you know, it’s a difficult one to take. It must have been for everyone.

However, Ocon expressed optimism for Lawson’s future in Formula 1, stating, “But, yeah, at least I’m happy for Liam that he’s able to fight in that same spot now and not out of Formula 1. That’s the most important thing.