"Does it mean he didn’t work hard until now?": Fans react to Max Verstappen's former adversary's comments about challenging for the title

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Previews
Max Verstappen looks on in the paddock during previews ahead of the 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Esteban Ocon recently claimed that if he worked hard enough, he would be able to fight against Max Verstappen and win the F1 world championship.

No matter which position an F1 driver is in, all 20 of them aim to win the world championship. The French driver is no exception, as he is working hard with Alpine to break out of the midfield table.

In an exclusive interview with RacingNews365, Ocon claimed that he is still working with Alpine, with his sole aim being race wins or securing podiums. His current target is to get the best out of the car on every race weekend.

"It is a pain, for sure. But I'm working still as if we are going for wins and podiums after every weekend. You have to re-adjust your target and my target is to get the best out of the car every race weekend," he stated.

Ocon believes that if he starts working hard, his time to fight for the world championship against Verstappen will arrive. The French driver wishes to drive a car capable of pushing Alpine and himself for the title.

"I believe if I work hard and do well on the track then my time will come. One day I will have a car that I can compete in for championships and wins. I'm looking forward to that," he added.

As soon as these statements from the Alpine driver surfaced on social media platforms, several F1 fans flocked and reacted to them. Most of them did not buy Esteban Ocon's enthusiasm and claim of fighting for the World Championship if he performed better.

One of the comments stated that up until now, Ocon has not been working hard enough since he is yet to challenge for the title.

Here are some of the reactions from F1 fans:

"Does it mean he didn’t work hard until now?" one user commented.

Esteban Ocon believes he can fight Max Verstappen for the title in the same machinery

A few months ago, Esteban Ocon directly claimed that he could fight with Max Verstappen for the world championship if both were given equal cars.

"Sure. I see myself fighting with Verstappen fighting for a World Cup if we had the same car. Now Max is doing an incredible job, he is dominating with Red Bull. But I don't care who the driver was. I want to fight for the championship. I've always believed in myself. We have a long road ahead of us, but my goal is to be world champion, nothing more," he said in an interview with DAZN.

Ocon is dead set on clinching his maiden world championship. However, Alpine will have to get out of the midfield and start competing against Red Bull and Verstappen for Ocon to have a chance.

Furthermore, he will have to fight other rival teams and his teammate Pierre Gasly.

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