Formula 1: Will Esteban Ocon drive for Mercedes in 2020?

Racing Point Force India’s Esteban Ocon is in a position to drive for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport beginning in the 2020 Formula 1 season.

After Lawrence Stroll, the father of current Williams Martini Racing driver Lance Stroll, led a consortium to purchase Sahara Force India (now Racing Point Force India) in early August, it was all but confirmed that the 20-year-old Stroll would leave Williams to drive for his father’s team in the 2019 Formula 1 season.

While this move still hasn’t, for what it’s worth, “officially” been confirmed, it is essentially a done deal. This meant that one of Force India’s two current drivers, Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, would not return to the team in the 2019 season.

Ocon confirmed in late August that he would be the driver who would end up being axed. This was pretty much solidified when Perez re-signed with the team in mid-October, and it had been speculated all along considering the fact that Perez’s financial backers were the ones who sent the team into administration to prevent them from the threat of a winding-up offer, allowing the Stroll-led consortium to make their purchase.

Ocon had been a candidate to drive for Williams Martini Racing next season even after George Russell was named the replacement for Stroll in October, but it was ultimately Robert Kubica who was named the replacement for Sergey Sirotkin earlier this week.

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As a result, Ocon, the 22-year-old Frenchman who is considered by many to be one of the most promising drivers in the sport and even a future world champion, will not be competing in Formula 1 next season.

However, he may get the last laugh.

Ocon, a Mercedes junior driver, has signed with Mercedes to be their reserve and test driver for the 2019 season, and it has already been rumored that he may be promoted to the team as one of their two full-time drivers for the 2020 season, as the team are seeking to make this happen.

Here is what Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff had to say about the matter, according to the BBC.

"“We hope to do the odd test, we are looking at pre-season and in-season, but it’s not sorted yet. He will do a lot of time in the simulator to make sure that he is ready.”"

Lewis Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension in July to remain with the team through at least the 2020 season. Valtteri Bottas signed a one-year contract extension with an additional one-year option in July as well, meaning that he is set to return to the team in the 2019 season but not necessarily in the 2020 season.

If Ocon does end up driving for the Brackley-based team in the 2020 season, which certainly looks like a good possibility at this point, he will likely do so as the replacement for Bottas as opposed to the replacement for Hamilton.

Do you believe that Mercedes’ driver lineup will be comprised of Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon in the 2020 Formula 1 season? If not, what do you believe that Valtteri Bottas needs to do in the 2019 season to prove that he deserves to drive for the five-time defending constructor champions in 2020 and perhaps beyond?