Hakkinen: 'Ocon not the kind of teammate I would want'

Two-time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen says he would be distrustful of Esteban Ocon if he were the Alpine driver's teammate but reckons Fernando Alonso will have no trouble overshadowing the Frenchman this season.

Ocon heads into his second season with the rebranded Enstone outfit, and while there were no relationship issues between the 24-year-old and Daniel Ricciardo last year at Renault, Ocon suffered a few well publicized run ins with Sergio Perez during the pair's time together at Force India.

Hakkinen says his perception of the Alpine charger isn't all that positive.

"I would like to say something positive, but I don’t know Ocon that well," said the Finn in his Bahrain GP preview for sponsor Unibet.

"From the outside, based on comments and interviews, he’s not necessarily the kind of team-mate I would want.

"You need to trust your team-mate. You talk and share things. You need to trust your team-mate and I wouldn’t necessarily trust Ocon.

"That’s a harsh thing to say but that’s how it is. My opinion might be a bit rude because I don’t personally know him, but you can draw certain conclusions by listening to people’s interviews, answers and conversations.

"How they talk about the subject, what their ulterior motives are – you can make some conclusions."

Beyond his negative impression, Hakkinen also believes Ocon will suffer at the hands of Alonso this season at Alpine, claiming the former has no chances of beating the 39-year-old F1 veteran.

"Fernando is a real matador," said the former McLaren driver. "He will approach the season in a way that Ocon will be overshadowed.

"I don’t think Ocon has any chances. He has experience and speed but Fernando won’t give him any chances."

• Read also: Confident Alonso says 'I'm better' than Hamilton and Verstappen

As for Alonso's prospects this year, Hakkinen believes the two-time world champion will need a powerful engine in his back and a strong overall package to deliver good results.

"He’s going to give his everything but winning requires a powerful engine," commented the 20-time Grand Prix winner. "It’s as simple as that. They need a powerful engine.

"Does the engine have enough power to overtake on the straights? To enter the braking zone and pass down the inside? I doubt it.

"Without power, it doesn’t matter how good the aerodynamics or drivers are. Every aspect needs to be just right.

"If all the elements aren’t right, there won’t be results."

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