Esteban Ocon will be considering himself as one of the unluckiest drivers of recent times, as despite putting in impressive performances, he is potentially out of a seat for 2019.
With Racing Point Force India having been taken out of administration by a Lawrence Stroll led consortium, Lance Stroll is set to make the move from Williams to Force India by the end of this season or before the start of the 2019 season.
Sergio Perez is almost certain to keep his seat and thus Ocon finds himself in an uncomfortable position in the driver market.
Williams have Kubica on as reserve driver and could make him replace Stroll if he leaves in the next few weeks. Ocon could move to Williams, with that being his only option.
Ricciardo’s move to Renault, sort of upset the entire driver market, especially for the midfield teams and their drivers.
Now, with one of the top 6 drivers, occupying a spot in a midfield team, there is bound to be some or the other midfield driver out of a seat.
Toto Wolff is absolutely furious about the situation, as he has disclosed that Ocon did have a couple of offers in July, but the teams did not keep their word.
“In July he [Ocon] had two offers on the table and he ended up having none because people simply don’t have the balls to stick to what they say.” Wolff said.
Wolff is clearly frustrated that the Mercedes driver isn’t able to find a seat, largely because the rivals don’t want a Mercedes driver in their team.
“I think what not only us but what some of the other teams are doing in terms of the young driver programme is to raise the level and have the good kids in Formula 1, the ones that win championships and deserve to be there,” Ocon said in an interview with Sky Sports.
“What’s been going on this year in July and in August was just unbelievable. There was so much politics in the background, hidden agendas, lies, and not all of the good kids are going to end up in cars, and probably Esteban will be one of them. But we’ll look after him. He’s one of the future stars. I’m 100 percent sure of that.
“In July, he had two offers on the table with contracts, and it was just a matter of choosing which was the right one, and he ended up not having any anymore.” he added.
Wolff has also categorically ruled out Mercedes giving up on Ocon by removing him from the programme.
“Not in a million years,” Wolff said.
“Because one day he is going to be in a Mercedes and win races and championships, and show all the others out there that they made a mistake.” he concluded.
