Esteban Ocon served as a reserve driver for Mercedes in 2019 after he was forced to spend a year on the sidelines.
Esteban Ocon admits that he had some very low moments during his time as a Mercedes reserve driver in 2019. The Frenchman revealed that he found it difficult to accept that he would not have a seat for the 2020 season.
Ocon was replaced by Lance Stroll at the then-called Racing Point. At that time, the Silver Arrows offered Ocon the role of reserve driver.
The Frenchman recalled having a tough time at the first race of the season when he arrived in Australia and realised that he would not be getting behind the wheel.
Speaking at the Beyond The Grid podcast, the Alpine driver said, “I had some very low moments, mentally. I think I will remember that one from Australia. [I] got there at the first race in 2019, and we were supposed to have quite a big test programme, so I was supposed to drive the car quite a bit.”
“When I got to Australia, I got told that I was not going to drive the car for the next six months. The next test was going to be in six months’ time.”
He said that it was planned in such a way due to budgetary reasons and it was totally understandable yet it hit him hard. He recalled leaving the track going into his rental car and crying in the parking lot.”
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Esteban Ocon praised Mercedes
Despite the difficulties he faced by not being able to race, Ocon praised the Silver Arrows for helping him grow. He lauded the Brackley-based team for how they integrated him into the team during 2019. Ocon named James Vowles and Toto Wolff for helping him along the way.
“I was very well looked after,” he explained. “They were trying to find solutions. Toto was quite clear. He said, ‘You will drive in 2020’, and I said, ‘How can you be so sure, Toto?’
“And he said, ‘You will see’. I didn’t want to believe him, because I didn’t want to be disappointed.
“But [there have] been quite a few times that, when he spoke about something, it actually happened, and it did happen again. I got to drive in 2020 – not in Mercedes, but in Renault – and that was the start of something new for me.”
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