SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Force India? More like force-fed for new boy Ocon

SILVERSTONE, England (Reuters) - Force India's new French signing Esteban Ocon has been feeling fed up. Literally.

Force India? More like force-fed for new boy Ocon
(Reuters)

3 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

New rules mean the tall 20-year-old has had to bulk up for his first full season in Formula One, with drivers facing far greater G-forces as they power the faster cars through the corners.

That has meant bigger meals over the winter for the former Manor driver, who has put on five kilos, but unfortunately without savouring the sort of fine cuisine his compatriots are famous for.

"It's been a very hard training regime and not only the training, but the eating part of it," he told reporters at the launch of the team's new VJM10 car at a wet Silverstone on Wednesday.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"I had to eat so much food.

"That was not nice. You know what we call Steak a Cheval? It's the steak with eggs on top and we had to eat like for example at lunch four of them at 150 grammes. I had to eat four of them with vegetables and then the same with chicken in the evening.

"I stopped now. I'm glad I did stop it. I was force-feeding, because you can't take on weight if you don't do that. It's been very hard from all aspects but I've been progressing so much."

The new cars have bigger, wider tyres and revamped aerodynamics that should make them harder to handle.

The Frenchman's experienced Mexican team mate Sergio Perez glanced across at the car after he and Ocon had unveiled it and said it looked "really demanding physically".

Ocon, whose two months of training at high altitude in the French Pyrenees included wading through waist-high snowdrifts, told Reuters Television that it looked "properly aggressive, like a proper man's car.

"The physical point of view will be much more important than previous years. It was hard already in the last years but I think it will be twice harder this year," he said.

Testing, which starts in Barcelona on Monday, could be the most gruelling of all if the cars enjoy good reliability straight out of the box.

That could see drivers, who have not been in the cars for any length of time since late November, complete a significant number of laps.

"Testing is always the hardest," said Ocon. "'Driving fit' is very different to fit overall. So we are going to feel it the following day for sure.

"I will struggle for sure, it's going to be hard. But if I struggle and I can't drive the car, I don't know what I have to do more."

The season starts in Australia on March 26.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world