Esteban Ocon admits he found Max Versta🌃ppen’s promotion to Formula 1 “difficult to swallow” at the time after beating the Du🐈tchman to the previous year’s European Formula 3 title.

Verstappen became tꦉhe youngest driver in the history of grand prix racing when he made his F1 debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso, while Ocon had to wait another year and a half before he graduated.

The pair’s former rivalry throughout karting and single-seater racing was reignited at the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix when Ocon inadvertently took Verstappen out of the lead of the race while a🔯ttempting to unlap himself.>

Reflecting on their rivalry in a column for the officiಞal Formula 1 website, Ocon wrote: “I think the first time I raced with Max Verstappen was in 2010.

“It was a tough year for me transitioning iꦚnto international racing. Karting is very tough anyway. I was alone with my dad pretty much fighting the big teams.

“Max and I were always quite close on track and sometimes it came too close! In 2011 we were fighting fo🔯r the 2011 world seriesඣ championship and he won in the end.

“I remember a race in Italy I came out on top, but me and him were a long way ahead of the res𒐪t. It was aಞ rivalry which started then, and it soon became even bigger.”

Ocon and Verstappenꦡ’s rivalry continued when the 𝓀pair found themselves competing together in the European F3 championship in 2014.

While Ocon stormed to the title with nine victories, Verstappen - who finished third in the standings - shot to attention by taking 10 wins in w𝓀hat marked his first seasไon in car racing.

Ve💝rstappen’s remarkable rise prompted Red Bull to secure a deal for him to graduate to F1 for the following season with Toro Rosso, while Ocon, who was then a Lotus junior, would have to wait for his own F1 break having switched to Mercedes’ p🌼rogramme.

“After a few races, the competitive rivalry returned,” Ocon explained. “Max started to become strong and he was challenging me for wins🎃 and suddenly he was the guy to beat.

“We had a thing called the ‘tri🐟ple record’ where you would win all the races ♛in a weekend.

“He [Verstappen] 𒅌did that [twice – at Spa and the Norisring] and then I did it in Moscow at the following round!

“We were fighting to getꩵ that all the time. In that Moscow race he came close to beating me and we banged wheels a couple of tim♛es, just like the old karting days.

“I won the title in Formula 3 but the tough moment for me was that Max had signed a deal to race Formula 1. Well done to him, definitely, but when I saw the news it was difficult to s✱wallow.

“He was third in the champio𓃲nship; I was winning,⛎ and I didn’t have a seat in any category at that time.

“I did a few tests in GP2,ꦉ but there was nothing really confirmed. The Lotus F1 junior programme had difficulties at the time and I w💯asn’t going anywhere, so it was quite a challenging moment.

“But ไI used that as motivation. I knew I had to work hard and keep on top of the junior categories if I was to make it to Formula 1

“It was my ultimate tar𝔍get; not necessarily wanting to face Max again, but rather joining him in Formula 1.”