SUMMARY
- Esteban Ocon lost Racing Point seat in 2019, became Mercedes reserve, then joined Alpine.
- Ocon persistently contacted Toto Wolff for career assistance, leading to Mercedes Junior Program.
Before securing his seat at Alpine, French driver Esteban Ocon experienced several challenges and successes along the way. In 2019, Ocon lost his seat at Racing Point after he was replaced by Lance Stroll. Reportedly, the 27-year-old was offered the role of reserve driver at Mercedes, which he had accepted. Following his stint with Silver Arrows, Alpine (then Renault) signed a contract with him.
Analysts speculate that his experience with one of the top-tier teams like Mercedes helped him earn a seat at Alpine, allowing him to continue traveling with the racing circus. After his childhood struggles where his parents had to sell their house and lived in a caravan, Ocon shared his past experiences in the High Performance podcast.
Esteban Ocon made desperate attempts for Mercedes opportunity
As far as the reports go, the Brackley-based team and Toto Wolff have had a significant influence on Ocon’s career on previous occasions as well. Recently, the French driver shared another incident where he persistently reached out to Wolff for assistance. This incident dates back to 2015, just after Ocon clinched the F3 Euro Championship title, where Max Verstappen finished third.
He stated, “In this transition from 2014-15 I was on the phone constantly calling Toto at the time and asking him if there was any solutions for me because I met him during that year. Because I won with a Mercedes engine in F3. With Gwen, Toto, and Fred Vasseur, we found a solution for us to be able to continue racing and to race in GP3 and I won the title as well, so I got in the Mercedes junior program.”Â
Turning to the Austrian team lead, whom he had met during his championship victory and owing to his ties to Mercedes, Ocon reached out for help. This was the initial days of what led to a strong relationship between Ocon and Wolff. Time and again, the Mercedes boss supported the driver at different stages of his career.
Ocon and father stood firm against Max and Jos Verstappen
Similar to many Formula 1 drivers, Ocon and Verstappen entered their motorsport journeys through karting. They engaged in intense rivalry throughout their childhood years. When he was unable to continue racing back in 2014, Esteban Ocon discovered himself in a tough spot. However, he found a path back into motorsport through the Mercedes Junior Programme.
📰: Esteban Ocon has opened up about his feelings regarding Max Verstappen’s promotion to Formula 1, admitting that he was “pissed off” at the time. Despite their long-standing rivalry since their karting days, Ocon expressed that he and his father were never intimidated by Jos… pic.twitter.com/BpDQku153K
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) March 19, 2024
Reflecting on their teenage years, Ocon recalled the intense rivalry he shared with Verstappen. He stated, “It was very fiery, but everybody was a little bit scared of Jos and Max at the time because Jos was driving in Formula 1 before, so he’s known for how fierce and how scary he can be…But my dad and myself, we were never scared, because we just wanted to race.”
Esteban Ocon provided a detailed account of his encounters with Max Verstappen, highlighting Jos Verstappen’s F1 background that initially made him feel overshadowed. However, Ocon persisted in racing despite this perception. He recounted how his father, Laurent Ocon, supported him throughout, even while facing the Verstappens. Nevertheless, Ocon admitted to finding pleasure in competing alongside the reigning champion.
