Esteban Ocon impressed by the grip level of the Renault R.S.20

Although he was able to drive his new single-seater during a shakedown last Monday, Esteban Ocon took advantage of the first session of winter testing to deliver feedback on the Renault R.S.20, and it must be said that the Frenchman is quite convinced.

« The car is behaving very well for a start, it seems well-born, he emphasizes. « It is predictable, I believe it’s a solid base to start with. In terms of times, we have already been faster than the best time of the first day last year. Cars evolve from year to year, comparisons are difficult. »

Indeed, this drop in times is certainly due to the stability of the regulations as well as the grip currently on the track.

« It’s hard to compare but the grip we have now, I’ve never felt it before », assures the French pilot.

« I don’t know if it’s the track, but honestly, it’s fast. I drove on Monday for a shooting day. I must say it’s impressive with these new cars. I had never gone so fast in some corners before. It’s really exciting. It’s going to get faster and faster. We will probably break all the records this year in terms of lap times. »

Regarding risk-taking, Ocon wants to save time and collect data that would be valuable for fine-tuning the car’s settings. However, the French driver must also be cautious to avoid going off track, which would cost the team time.

« We always have to push the car, Ocon specifies. « We had a good discussion with Cyril [Abiteboul] and Alain [Prost] about this. It’s important to push the car to have good references and be ready, but also to have correct data to improve the car. We can’t make compromises like that. »

The team wants to evaluate the behavior and different systems of its single-seater during these tests. Renault also wants to check the consistency of the RS20 and start working on the settings.