Why French politics prevents Esteban Ocon from living in Monaco like fellow F1 drivers
Most F1 drivers have made Monaco their home, thanks to its tax haven status, but not Esteban Ocon. Despite being French, the Haas driver decided to opt for a different path and move to Switzerland. And the reason behind the move? France's tax policy prevents its citizens from enjoying the tax-free status in Monaco!
Renowned F1 stars like Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris shifted to Monaco from their home countries and made it their home over the last few years. Why? Because Monaco does not levy personal income tax, unlike all the European countries.
The country allows its residents to keep all their income, and levies zero income tax since 1869. However, it's not the case for countries like the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, Germany or France. With so much relaxation on tax, why didn't Ocon move to Monaco instead of Switzerland?
According to renowned F1 photojournalist Kym Illman,
"The French government allows Monaco to exist. But they don't want their citizens going there. They're happy for other countries to send their citizens there and pay no tax, but not the French."
If this is the case, why did Ocon decide to move to Switzerland and not stay in France as both countries levy commendable personal taxes? The difference in tax percentage is the reason. There are multiple tax slabs, such as the tax for single people, cantonal tax, or regional tax.
In a nutshell, Esteban Ocon would have to pay less tax in Geneva, Switzerland than he had to pay in France at the end of the year. And the final tax relaxation sum could reach over millions of dollars at the end of a fiscal year.
Esteban Ocon lacks confidence despite a formidable show in China
Haas had a stellar weekend in China after Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman managed a P5 and P8 finish in the Chinese GP. Even though they were aided by Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc's double disqualification, the VF-25 still showed glimpses of speed during the race.
Despite this, Ocon is far from confident with his ride coming into the third race of the season. The reason? He felt that the form is not constant, and it's swinging up and down. Speaking about this, he said, quoted by RACER:
"We need to stay on top of our game. The confidence is not yet there, because it’s only race two and we’ve been swinging in performance from bottom of the midfield to now top of the midfield."
“So, we need to stay on top of what we are doing, focus on ourselves and optimize what we have. I know there’s more performance to unlock from the car and that’s very good to see," he added.
Esteban Ocon arrived at the American team from Alpine at the end of last season. He raced with fellow compatriot Pierre Gasly in the French team last year, but decided to switch sides in 2025.