Ocon's journey, filled with ups and downs, is deeply intertwined with the Brackley-based Mercedes team, where he was a junior team member, GP3 titleholder and later the F1 team's reserve driver in 2019.
Speaking with the High Performance Podcast, Ocon talked about moments that "surprised" him while working with Hamilton. This period followed a challenging phase for Ocon, who lost his seat at Force India after the 2018 season, but found solace and learning opportunities at Mercedes. Now, as he enters his fifth and final season with Alpine, Ocon's career management by Mercedes keeps him attached to the powerhouse team.
Reflecting on his time as Mercedes' reserve driver, Ocon shared how Hamilton's dedication and professionalism went beyond his natural talent.Ocon explained, "I remember Lewis coming in on a race weekend from various marketing events and all this stuff – Lewis is a very busy guy." "That's some of the difference compared to some drivers who are more focused on the racetrack, apart from the racing. It amazed me to see how he shifted his attention from one thing to the next. He was straight to the point, completely Came back with my engineer after doing something different."
What impressed Ocon most was Hamilton's ability to seamlessly transition between his many off-track commitments and the intense focus required by racing.Hamilton's meticulous approach, including maintaining a paper board with notes, left a lasting impression on Ocon. "He always had paper boards with notes and he always had notes so as not to forget things from one year to the next, or from one session to the next. Now I do the same."
Admitting that he never took notes before watching Hamilton, Ocon now follows a similar practice, storing meticulous notes on his phone for his engineers. Ocon explained, "Performance meetings, problems to fix, all those points we have to go through, I put them basically as an example." "If I don't write them down right when I get out of the car, I won't remember well or they'll become more vague."
Ocon's adoption of Hamilton's strategies underlines how deeply the champion has influenced his career. “If I go to a marketing event and then come back and say, 'I had something really interesting, but I don't remember it,' then imagine how much it would have cost us originally — to us, our to performance."
Speaking with the High Performance Podcast, Ocon talked about moments that "surprised" him while working with Hamilton. This period followed a challenging phase for Ocon, who lost his seat at Force India after the 2018 season, but found solace and learning opportunities at Mercedes. Now, as he enters his fifth and final season with Alpine, Ocon's career management by Mercedes keeps him attached to the powerhouse team.
Reflecting on his time as Mercedes' reserve driver, Ocon shared how Hamilton's dedication and professionalism went beyond his natural talent.Ocon explained, "I remember Lewis coming in on a race weekend from various marketing events and all this stuff – Lewis is a very busy guy." "That's some of the difference compared to some drivers who are more focused on the racetrack, apart from the racing. It amazed me to see how he shifted his attention from one thing to the next. He was straight to the point, completely Came back with my engineer after doing something different."
What impressed Ocon most was Hamilton's ability to seamlessly transition between his many off-track commitments and the intense focus required by racing.Hamilton's meticulous approach, including maintaining a paper board with notes, left a lasting impression on Ocon. "He always had paper boards with notes and he always had notes so as not to forget things from one year to the next, or from one session to the next. Now I do the same."
Admitting that he never took notes before watching Hamilton, Ocon now follows a similar practice, storing meticulous notes on his phone for his engineers. Ocon explained, "Performance meetings, problems to fix, all those points we have to go through, I put them basically as an example." "If I don't write them down right when I get out of the car, I won't remember well or they'll become more vague."
Ocon's adoption of Hamilton's strategies underlines how deeply the champion has influenced his career. “If I go to a marketing event and then come back and say, 'I had something really interesting, but I don't remember it,' then imagine how much it would have cost us originally — to us, our to performance."
