‘I wasn’t expecting that!’: F1 driver Esteban Ocon collects his new SportJet 520
Esteban Ocon collects his SportJet 520 alongside partner Flavy Barla French Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon has collected his custom-built Williams SportJet 520, the brand’s most powerful flagship tender, on the shores of Lake Geneva.
In 2025, Ocon was appointed an ambassador of Williams Marine Group, tasked with promoting both Evene Tenders and Williams Jet Tenders, as he started work on the bespoke project.
The driver has spent around six months working with Williams on the custom tender, which is powered by the same engine family that launched his racing career, as a youth driving a Rotax DD2 go-kart.
“[The process] has been awesome,” says Ocon. I have been dreaming of this day to finally see it in real life, and it’s incredibly special.”
The SportJet 520 gains its 230 horsepower from a supercharged Rotax ACE 1630 engine. The vessel tops out at 49 knots, can seat seven adults, and weighs 670 kilograms dry. The vessel is 5.19m in length and has a maximum width of 2.01m.
Ocon was surprised by the size of the vessel when he first saw it at the port, exclaiming: “It’s massive! I was not expecting that!”
Ocon chose the model to be finished in white bodywork paired with bright red tubes. “People in the boating industry were like ‘woah!’. But I love it; it’s my favourite colour,” he remarks. “I took it a bit like [as if it were] a car … being able to personalise everything is incredible.”
Tom Dowdell, head of marketing at Williams Jet Tenders and Evene Tenders, says the relationship is about shared values. “His passion for performance, precision, and innovation mirrors our own. Seeing someone at the pinnacle of motorsport choose Williams Jet Tenders is a real testament to the quality and reputation of our products.”
Ocon is also an official brand ambassador and co-ownership participant for Meros Yachtsharing, which offers a fractional ownership model for Sunseeker superyachts in Europe.
In 2024, he helped unveil the custom Sunseeker Meros Signature 95 superyacht, which functions as part of its shared-ownership fleet providing VIP access and trackside berthing during events like the Monaco Grand Prix.
Ocon isn’t the only F1 driver to enter the marine world. Earlier this year, Charles Leclerc took delivery of the 20th hull of the 102′ Corsaro Super, which was launched at Riva’s La Spezia shipyard in Italy. Back in 2021, Fernando Alonso commissioned a custom 60 Sunreef power eco catamaran, following in the footsteps of tennis player Rafael Nadal – whose Sunreef 80 was showcased at Monaco in the same year.
Leave a Reply