Esteban Ocon (born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who currently is signed to race for Renault F1 Team alongside Daniel Ricciardo in 2020. He made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. Ocon is part of the Mercedes-Benz driver development programme.

Early life

Esteban Ocon was born in Évreux, Normandy to Sabrina Khelfane and Laurent Ocon. Laurent Ocon is a mechanic who owns a garage in Évreux. He is of Algerian and Spanish descent as his maternal family is originally from Málaga.

Early career

2006–2011: Karting

Ocon entered karting in 2006, when he finished eighth in the French Minime Championship, subsequently winning the championship in the following year. His success continued in 2008, as he won the French Cadet Championship. On the back of that victory, Ocon began the first of his three seasons in the KF3 kart category. He would ultimately win the French KF3 title and finish as runner-up in the WSK Euro Series in 2011, his final season before stepping up to cars.At the age of 14, Ocon was signed by Gravity Sports management, a sister company of Renault F1 team.