'A bittersweet taste' – Esteban Ocon reflects on 'emotional' milestone ...

Esteban Ocon will take part in his 150th Formula 1 race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he looks to end his final few races with Alpine on a high, but the Frenchman will have his work cut out after a troublesome weekend in Baku thus far.

The Alpine man has been plagued with reliability issues across the weekend, resulting in limited running and a P20 spot in Saturday's qualifying session. However, the 27-year-old, who will be moving to Haas next season, will not want anything to dampen his landmark achievement.

READ MORE: Leclerc hails ‘amazing’ Baku pole run as he hopes Ferrari can ‘play a team game’ to keep rivals behind on race day

The Frenchman made his debut for Manor in 2016 and has gone on to have a prolific racing career in F1, competing for Force India for two years before taking a year out as a Mercedes reserve driver.

Ocon then bounced back from not being able to secure a seat in 2020, returning with Renault to partner Daniel Ricciardo and achieve his maiden podium at the Sakhir Grand Prix. He stuck with the team through their rebrand as Alpine, joining forces with Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly, though that association will come to an end once the 2024 season concludes.

Ocon and Gasly have formed an all-French lineup at Alpine since 2023

“It’s a big number for sure,” Ocon told the media ahead of the weekend. “I didn’t see the time going, time flies when you have fun, that’s what people say! I didn’t know [the milestone] before I came to this event – I just saw that the team did a special post for it and it’s pretty cool to achieve such a milestone.

“There’s a lot of races now a year and that’s why the time flew so quickly. I guess you just go race by race and travel all around the world one after another and think about the present moment, but it is quite emotional.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the qualifying action from Baku as Leclerc claims pole while Norris suffers bombshell Q1 exit

The Frenchman claimed both his and Alpine’s first win at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021, where he avoided collisions in mixed weather conditions to beat the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel and take victory.

Since then, the team have established themselves firmly in the midfield, though the 2024 campaign has been a disappointment of late – they are currently on 13 points, sandwiched between Haas and Williams in the constructors' standings.

Ocon added: “I think it’s 100 races as well with this team – we’ve achieved a lot. There’s a bittersweet taste a little bit with what we’ve achieved because there was some great stuff, but we would’ve liked a little bit more of course. I’m here for the remaining season and I’m going to try and do the best I can with what I’ve got.”

Ocon earned a further podium finish at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix

He is set to depart his French colleagues at the end of the season and move to Haas, where he will drive alongside rookie Ollie Bearman in an all-new lineup for the American team. The move marks the end of a five-year partnership between Ocon and Alpine.

READ MORE: Komatsu shares how he’s preparing Bearman for debut F1 season as he stresses two new drivers won’t hold Haas back

While Haas are not currently fighting for podiums and race wins, Ocon saw them as an attractive option to continue his F1 career with and hopefully reach further milestones.

“I’ve been talking with Ayao and working with Ayao in the past – I know how much of a competitor he is and how much of an implication he has now in the team,” Ocon continued as he assessed his new chapter.

“Talking with different teams, I thought that clearly this was going to be my best option for the future. They have big plans ahead for the future, and I look forward to being part of it.”