Ocon aims to carry 'strong' 2020 momentum into new season

Alpine's Esteban Ocon is determined to pick up at the start of the 2021 season where he left off at the end of last year and carry his momentum forward.

After a year on the sidelines in 2019, Ocon struggled to find his feet with Renault in the first half of the 2020 season.

But gradually, as the campaign unfolded, progress and consistency ensued, and the Frenchman bridged the gap with teammate Daniel Ricciardo, securing his first career podium in F1 at the penultimate round of the season at Sakhir.

Ocon is aiming to sustain that momentum at the outset and hit the ground running in Bahrain at the end of the month.

"I aim to start stronger," he said in Alpine's team launch presentation on Wednesday.

"I finished last season a lot stronger than how I started it. I want to start on that level straight away and find more improvements throughout the year.

"I don’t put too many specific targets for the year, but, initially, starting stronger on a personal level is the first aim."

Ocon says he definitely feels "more prepared" for his second season with his team, having built a proper foundation with the Enstone outfit last year.

"Going into a second year with the team means we’re building from the already good working relationship we have and that’s very good," he added.

"It’s going to be a different car but a lot of it is carried over from last year and we’ve already work on a lot of those things, which we already understand.

"Everything is a lot clearer for me than my first season. I aim to feel more comfortable straight away from the get-go.

"We know it’s going to be a very tight season as our competitors are going to be working hard. It’s going to be close, but we’re aiming for more good results this year."

• Read also: Alonso in 'best shape ever', physically and mentally

Fernando Alonso's return to the fray this season after a two-year hiatus means that Ocon will have a formidable benchmark sitting on the other side of the Alpine garage.

The Frenchman's performances will inevitably be compared to those of the two-time world champion, but the 24-year-old is looking forward to the challenge as well as to a productive collaboration.

"I’m very much looking forward to working with Fernando," he said. "It’s exciting to see how a two-time Formula 1 world champion works and to be teaming up with him is a privilege.

"I’m definitely looking forward as we’ll have a great collaboration. We already started to work together towards the end of the year and there’s going to be more of that in the coming days and weeks.

"It’s all positive and I look forward to hearing what he says about the car."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter