Esteban Ocon has bullishly claimed he could be beating Max Verstappen if he was partnering the Dutch protege at Red Bull.
Verstappen's current dominance of the sport is proving a contentious issue, winning six of the eight Grand Prix races in 2023 so far. The other two victories have been claimed by his team-mate Sergio Perez, but there is already a 69-point gap between the two drivers in the standings, with Verstappen almost certain to claim a third straight world title.
Indeed, the RB19 models are undoubtedly quicker than rival cars, and George Russell's early season prediction that Christian Horner's team would win every race this year has thus far rung true. And Alpine driver Ocon has further fuelled the notion that the grid is uncompetitive, arguing he too would be fighting at the front were he at Red Bull.
"Sure, I see myself fighting with Verstappen, fighting for a world championship if we had the same car," he told DAZN. "Now Max is doing an incredible job – he is dominating with Red Bull.
"But I don’t care which driver it was. I want to fight for the championship. I have always believed in myself. We have a long road ahead of us, but my goal is to be world champion, nothing more."
Ocon, 26, served as a back-up driver at Mercedes in 2019, but is yet to secure a seat at a team deemed worthy of challenging for the championship. He served notice of his qualities back in 2021 though, taking a maiden F1 win in dramatic circumstances in Hungary.
Starting eighth on the grid, multiple collisions saw him promoted to second place as early as the first corner. He later took first after race leader Lewis Hamilton pitted for dry-weather tyres later than the rest of the field, and held on for the chequered flag.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Max Verstappen making F1 boring? Comment below.
And the Frenchman has been consistent in 2023, five times finishing in the points, including a podium (third) in Monaco. And he hinted that he was open to a move from his current team in order to help him fulfil his ultimate ambition.
"I don’t know what the future holds," he added. "At the moment I feel very good in Alpine. I feel we are progressing and I have full confidence. But in F1 you never know the future. I know the sacrifices I’ve made and everything I’ve had to go through to be where I am. But this is just the beginning."
Ocon's eighth placed finish in 2022, with 92 points, represented his best return since his inaugural F1 campaign with Manor in 2016. He currently lies ninth this time around, having amassed 29 points.
