Esteban Ocon recalled one of the most difficult periods of his Formula 1 career when talking about the season in which he ended up as Mercedes’ reserve driver. The Frenchman revealed that he even cried when he realized he would have to wait months for an opportunity to race again.
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The Haas driver said in an interview with Motorsport.com that in 2018, his future seemed set for Renault (now Alpine), but parallel negotiations and changes in the driver market completely altered the scenario. The outcome left him without a seat on the grid for the following season, despite the good performance he had been showing.
“It was difficult. Actually, I was supposed to race for Renault, but another team was also in the running at the time. And yes, the combination of the two created a big confusion for my year in F1,” he said. At that moment, the Frenchman was considered an option for Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas in 2019, while Renault and McLaren also showed interest in signing him.
However, Mercedes chose to renew with Bottas, while Renault changed its plans after the opportunity to sign Daniel Ricciardo arose. At the same time, McLaren was informed that Ocon would not be available and advanced negotiations with Carlos Sainz. With no space in the involved teams, the driver ended up taking the role of Mercedes reserve.
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Ocon said the period was especially frustrating because he worked intensely on car development without being able to drive on track: “That was a tough year. Obviously, I was not happy with my situation. I was developing a car at night and doing the work of two reserve drivers, I did it all alone,” he added.
He also revealed that the confirmation that he would only have a test months later was the most striking moment of that period: “I remember getting into my rental car and crying. I desperately needed testing for the next year. My plan was to race as much as possible, in any car, and absorb as much technical knowledge as possible from the winning team for the day I returned to the cockpit. But the wait was hard and seemed endless,” Ocon concluded.
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