Esteban Ocon says Lewis Hamilton was a “good teacher” for him during his stay at Mercedes last year.
Despite losing his seat at Force India at the end of 2018, the Frenchman found himself in the privileged place as reserve driver for the Brackley-based team, working alongside the six-time world champion.
And though he might have lost a year of racing, Ocon admits that opportunity certainly came with plenty of benefits.
“I had good chats with Lewis, who gave me good advice not really on the sports side but more the managing side,” he was quoted by GrandPrix247.com.
“He gave me good words and gave me directions on where to go. He was also a good teacher in all those parts.”
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One aspect to Hamilton’s career that is often debated is his off-track activities, such as his fashion collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger, but having seen how he operates, Ocon admits the Briton is never distracted.
“How he uses his time is very impressive given the way he works with his engineers and the life he has,” he explained.
“All around he has a very busy life but when he does something, it’s 100%. Forget the rest. He does his things, he does it well, very precisely, but once he’s done it. Boom! He doesn’t lose time. He does something else.”
For 2020, Ocon is returning to the grid this time at Renault, after Mercedes opted to continue with Valtteri Bottas for another year, and the 23-year-old is keen to put all that he’s done over the past year to good use.
“I came out of there a lot stronger than I was, with a lot more knowledge on the technical side but also on the other aspects like the organisation and the way they see things in different conditions, the way they just behave in any situation. I had an eye on all of that,” he said.