(Motorsport-Total.com) – In July 2018, Ocon was riding a wave of success. In his second full Formula 1 season, the Mercedes protégé was just ahead of his experienced Force India teammate Sergio Perez in the driver standings and had just beaten him seven times in a row in qualifying – but that did not prevent him from ultimately ending up on the substitute bench.
Read more Formula 1 Technology: Battery Capacity Also Expected to Increase in 2027
“It was difficult,” Ocon says in an interview with Autosport, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network, when asked about his development as a driver that year.
“I was actually supposed to drive for Renault, but at that time another team was also in the picture. And yes, together they caused, I would say, a huge chaos for my year in Formula 1.”
Ocon’s performance at the time prompted Mercedes to consider him as a potential replacement for Valtteri Bottas alongside Lewis Hamilton for 2019. However, since both Renault and McLaren showed interest in the 21-year-old, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff extended Bottas’s contract, which was officially announced on July 20.
Meanwhile, ahead of the German Grand Prix (July 20 to 22), Ocon went to the McLaren Technology Centre for a seat fitting – in case he was asked to replace Stoffel Vandoorne mid-2018 season before a full-season switch was to follow.
Renault struck – and got Ricciardo
Renault ultimately won the race to sign the Frenchman. Reportedly, there was a handshake, but the contract was never signed. When it became known that Daniel Ricciardo wanted to leave Red Bull, Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul did not hesitate and snapped up the eight-time Grand Prix winner.
Both Ricciardo’s departure from Red Bull and his deal with Renault were announced on August 3.
In the meantime, McLaren had been informed that Ocon would not be available. The Woking-based team therefore entered advanced negotiations with Carlos Sainz, who, together with rookie Lando Norris, was to form the driver duo for 2019 – while Red Bull chose Pierre Gasly to fill the vacant seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Read more Mercedes: Does driving style make the difference between drivers?
Thus, Ocon ended up spending the season as Mercedes’ reserve driver.
Driving? Sometime in July …
“That was a tough year,” continues today’s Haas driver. “Of course, I was not happy about where I was. I developed a car at night and did the job of two reserve drivers, I did it all alone – later they had two or three drivers doing the job I did; that’s how big the effort I put in was.”
“Basically, this car then won races when I got to the track, but I was not in the cockpit,” says the Frenchman. “So it was tough – especially when I asked Shov (Mercedes’ chief race engineer Andrew Shovlin; ed.) I think in Melbourne, ‘When am I actually supposed to test?’ because I was supposed to have a lot of tests.”
“And he said: ‘Oh, you’ll test in July’ or something like that. So it was three or four months from March to July; I was supposed to test in Le Castellet.”
Formula 1 Quiz
What average starting position did Esteban Ocon achieve in Formula 1?
Test yourself now in the Formula 1 quiz and compare yourself with other users
“I remember getting into my rental car and crying. I desperately needed driving practice for the next year. My plan was clear: drive as much as possible, no matter in which car, and take as much technical know-how as possible from the winning team for the day I return to the racing cockpit. But waiting for that was tough and dragged on endlessly.”
While Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes dominated the world championship, Wolff also preferred Bottas over Ocon for 2020. The Frenchman was eventually signed by Renault, this time alongside Daniel Ricciardo – a step that would bring him his first and so far only Grand Prix win the following year in Hungary.
But George Russell’s rise meant he would never get another chance to race a Silver Arrow.
Read more Formula 1: Several Broadcasters Compete for German TV Rights from 2028