Discover our topic “Franco Folies” in issue 2178 of AUTOhebdo

What would you do if you just found out about your promotion in Formula 1 ? In this summer of 2016, Esteban Ocon was spending a vacation with friends near Hossegor, in the Landes, when he was informed that he would replace Rio Haryanto at Manor from the Belgian Grand Prix, which marks the traditional start of the school year.

"Right after the phone call, I said to my friends: 'Come on guys, let's do something different,' remembers the Norman who was not yet 20 years old at the time. And we went and bought three inflatable canoes.

It wasn't competition equipment but it wasn't cheap either. We had the idea of ​​starting from Lake Hossegor and rowing to the sea. We tied the canoes together with ropes. The problem was that there was a strong current on the other side.

We got swept away and found ourselves in an area where there were oysters at the bottom. My friends cut their feet. Those were the stupid ideas of the time.”

It would have been a shame to miss his debut in the premier category after being injured while pretending to be Tony Estanguet, but it makes for some great stories to share.

For AUTO readershebdo, Ocon and the five other French speakers on the current grid – his French compatriots Pierre Gasly et Romain Grosjean, but also the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, the Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne and the Canadian Lance stroll – agreed to open the memory box by looking back on the most powerful experiences they had on and off the track. We invite you to discover them, divided into eight major themes.

Discover our topic “Franco Folies”, in issue 2178 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version and on newsstands.