Alpine driver Esteban Oon is very pleased with the progress his team are making on the developmental side of things.
Ocon has been in the points in seven of the opening nine rounds of the season, but neither he nor team-mate Fernando Alonso have been on the podium just yet.
It took until the 11th round of last season for that to happen when the Frenchman won the Hungarian Grand Prix, and Alpine have spent the last few rounds getting themselves into contention to be the best midfield team.
They are currently eight points adrift of McLaren in the battle for fourth following their fourth doble points score of the season, and they are aiming to improve further next weekend in Silverstone.
“We have quite a bit of upgrades normally coming so there should be a good step for us,” Ocon said.
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“So yeah, big hopes, it’s going to be a big week, starting from Tuesday for us, so a lot of work going ahead.
“And yeah, hopefully we can perform well, because the car is where it should be.”
The 25-year-old divulged that a lot of the progress happening right now is taking place earlier than anticipated.
“It is very encouraging and the team is pushing forward a lot and getting their upgrades early, and not when they were planned,” explained Ocon.
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“And, it’s delivering it’s going in the right direction. And I think since the beginning of the year, we have improved more than a lot of other teams.
“So yeah, we can be satisfied, and it’s going in the right direction.”
As for whether they are able to compete with Mercedes, the ultimately superior race pace of Sir Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in Canada was a reminder that the Enstone-based side have a little way to go yet.
“We’re not there, I got overtaken by both of them so we’re still a long way off,” stated the former Manor and Force India driver.
“But yeah, that’s the aim, yes, they are the next on the list.”
Ocon has been on the podium twice in his career – his victory last year in Hungary, and his P2 in Bahrain in 2020.