Ocon and Mercedes
From 2020 to today the career of Esteban Ocon in Formula 1 has always been linked toAlpine (still known as Renault in 2020), with the Frenchman preparing to contest his fifth world championship with the Enstone manufacturer. Precisely in this team, Ocon shared the garage with Fernando Alonso, as well as winning his first and only F1 GP in Hungary in 2021. However, at the end of this season, his contract will expire. It is difficult to think that there could be another reality, outside of Alpine or the driver's managers, that could manage the 27-year-old's career, but the future of Gasly's current teammate could be decided by an external team to the French one: la Mercedes.
From the Academy to the debut in F1
To understand how Ocon is actually close to the Anglo-German team it is necessary to first take a step back to 2015i.e. the year in which the young transalpine was included in the Mercedes Young Driver Academy. Halfway through the following season, the Brackley team loaned him to Renault as their third driver, with Ocon subsequently making his F1 debut in the current championship with Manor. In 2017, he then moved to Force India, with which he continued until 2018 inclusive.
The move to Renault from Brackley
However, at the end of this last season, the Frenchman was announced as third Mercedes driver for 2019. The failure to renew Force India occurred as a result of the operation completed by Lawrence Stroll, who took over the Indian team to set up the team RacingPoint, now known as Aston Martin. While Sergio Perez was confirmed, Ocon lost his place in favor of the son of the Canadian entrepreneur, Lance, therefore remaining away from the starting grid for 2019 as the third driver of the 'three-pointed star'. Afterwards, Toto Wolff arranged Ocon's move to Renault for 2020a team in which he is still present.
Lagrue's confirmation
As a result, when the next championship ends, Ocon's career prospects will be managed by Mercedes. To confirm this in an interview with The Race was Gwen Lagrue, Director of the Mercedes Young Driver Academy: “He is still very close to us – he has declared – he is an Alpine rider and is fully committed to Alpine, but we are still managing his career. There are only 20 places in Formula 1, and in a way we all work together in the interests of the sport. In our case we have an excellent relationship with Alpine and other teams. We always try to find the best solution to work together in the interest of the team and the driver“.
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