As Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton stepped off the podium at Yas Marina Circuit and drifted into the silence of the Abu Dhabi night, the curtain came down on another thrilling Formula One season.
In the aftermath of Sunday evening, much discussion centred on the season’s key talking points – from Hamilton’s dominance, the closing gap between Mercedes and Ferrari, new cars in 2018 but most intriguingly Esteban Ocon’s future as an F1 superstar.
Fifteen months on from his debut at the Belgian Grand Prix, the Frenchman has captured the imagination of motorsport fans worldwide with his swashbuckling displays for Force India this year.
Eighth in the drivers’ standings, the 21-year-old accumulated 87 points in 2017, just 13 points shy of his experienced Force India teammate Sergio Perez in seventh.
The Evreux native may have only outraced Perez just once, but points in all but two races and a fifth place at the Spanish Grand Prix marks a scintillating rookie season any young driver would be hugely proud of.
But away from his class and aggression on the track, Ocon’s relationship with his Mexican colleague has not all been rosy, with the British-based Indian team threatening to impose strict orders on the pair following three collisions this season – the most notable of which came in Spa in August.
It’s never nice to see team-mates bickering to the press in the aftermath of races, but in some respects, it’s admirable to see the confidence of a young man trying to challenge a driver who has six years more experience in the sport.
It could also be argued that Perez enjoyed his second-best season to date based on the pressure imposed by the young upstart.
With Force India cementing their status as the fourth-best team on the circuit, they clearly boast the most exciting driver line-up outside of Hamilton/Bottas and Max Verstappen/Daniel Ricciardo – something that will make for an off-season full of hope.
But away from potential team success, Ocon needs to elevate himself to another level in the new year if he is to be the lead driver at Force India – and he’s proved over these past months that he is not far off the top positions, particularly with his stunning drive at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Fastest across the weekend in Montreal, he may have finished as the second-best Force India driver in sixth, but there was no doubt who was more impressive after Perez defied team orders when Ocon clearly had the pace to challenge Vettel in fourth place.
With further improvements set to be made on the new car, there is every possibility Ocon will challenge for podiums in 2018 – and test the dominance of the big three of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull.
Eighteen top-10 finishes in his first full season certainly prove his potential, but he has to challenge further up the grid in his second campaign if the bigger teams are to step up and show interest.
As part of the Mercedes drivers programme, he is a strong contender to replace Bottas at the Silver Arrows in 2019 should they part company with the Finn.
It would be a serious coup for a driver with his potential to earn a seat at Toto Wolff’s side – a career move that would further enhance his prospects of being a future world champion.
With better knowledge of the tracks after a baptism of fire season debut, Ocon certainly has the attributes to fulfill great promise.
