Road to Formula 1

He was born on 17 September 1996 in Évreux, Normandy. After karting, he spent 2013 in the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup and finished the season third with two wins. In 2014 he won the European Formula 3 Championship at his first attempt with Prema, ahead of Max Verstappen, and in 2015, again as a rookie, he took the GP3 title with ART Grand Prix. That same year he joined the Mercedes junior programme.

He began the 2016 season in the DTM touring car series, driving for Mercedes-AMG with the ART team, while also serving as Renault’s reserve driver. On 10 August 2016 it was announced that from the Belgian Grand Prix he would take Rio Haryanto’s seat at Manor — at the age of 19.

Manor and Force India

He made his World Championship debut for Manor at the Belgian Grand Prix on 28 August 2016, alongside Pascal Wehrlein, starting 17th and finishing 16th. His best result in nine races for Manor was 12th at the Brazilian Grand Prix on 13 November 2016. In 2017 he moved to Force India as Sergio Pérez’s team-mate and scored points in his very first race — 10th at the Australian Grand Prix on 26 March 2017. His best finishes in two seasons with the team were fifth places at the Spanish Grand Prix on 14 May 2017 and the Mexican Grand Prix on 29 October 2017.

At the Brazilian Grand Prix on 11 November 2018, while a lap down, he collided with the race leader Max Verstappen, was given a stop-go penalty and finished 15th. After Lawrence Stroll’s consortium bought the team, Ocon was left without a seat for 2019 and spent the season as third and reserve driver at Mercedes.

Renault and Alpine

On 29 August 2019 Renault announced his return for the 2020 season alongside Daniel Ricciardo. His first podium was second place at the Sakhir Grand Prix on 6 December 2020 after starting 11th. From 2021 the team raced as Alpine, and his team-mate was Fernando Alonso.

On 1 August 2021 he won the Hungarian Grand Prix. After a wet start and a first-corner pile-up that put five drivers out of the race, he moved into the lead and held it to the flag, having started eighth. Sebastian Vettel, second on the road, was disqualified because there was not enough fuel left in his car for a sample, and second place went to Lewis Hamilton. It was the team’s first win under the Alpine name. On 5 December 2021 he finished fourth at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, and on 9 October 2022 fourth at the Japanese Grand Prix.

From 2023 his team-mate was Pierre Gasly. On 28 May 2023 in Monaco he started third and finished third; on 18 November 2023 at the Las Vegas Grand Prix he climbed from 16th to fourth. On 3 November 2024 at the São Paulo Grand Prix, in changeable weather, he finished second, with Gasly third. His last race for Alpine was the Qatar Grand Prix on 1 December 2024, which ended in a first-lap collision. On 2 December 2024 the team released him early so that he could drive for Haas in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, and Jack Doohan took his place for the final race of the season.

Haas

On 25 July 2024 Haas announced a multi-year contract with him from the 2025 season; his team-mate was Oliver Bearman. His first race for the team was the Australian Grand Prix on 16 March 2025, where he finished 13th. In the second, the Chinese Grand Prix on 23 March 2025, he finished fifth — his best result of the season. On 25 May 2025 he was seventh in Monaco, and he ended the year with another seventh place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 7 December 2025, finishing 15th in the Drivers’ Championship.

2026 season

2026 is his second season with Haas, which races as the TGR Haas F1 Team through its partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing; his team-mate is Oliver Bearman. He opened the season at the Australian Grand Prix on 8 March 2026 with 11th place; his first points came at the Japanese Grand Prix on 29 March 2026 with 10th place. On 7 June 2026 in Monaco he finished ninth after starting 17th. He retired at Zandvoort on 23 August 2026, and on 13 September 2026 he was 11th at the Spanish Grand Prix at the new Madrid circuit. It is the first season of the new technical regulations, with new power units and active aerodynamics.