Formula 1: Why is Esteban Ocon even in the Mercedes discussion?

By Asher Fair | Aug 25, 2019

SHANGHAI, CHINA - APRIL 12: Esteban Ocon of France and Mercedes GP (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /

Esteban Ocon is in the discussion to drive for Mercedes in the 2020 Formula 1 season as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate and Valtteri Bottas’s replacement. Why?

Amidst rumors that he may leave Aston Martin Red Bull Racing to join Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport for the 2020 Formula 1 season due to a performance exit clause in his contract, Max Verstappen has been confirmed at the former, as this clause has expired without the ability for the 21-year-old Dutchman to trigger it.

That leaves two options for the Silver Arrows when it comes to who to pair with five-time champion Lewis Hamilton next year.

Do they stick with Valtteri Bottas, or do they promote reserve and test driver Esteban Ocon?

This is the decision that team principal and CEO Toto Wolff stated would likely be made before the month of August ends and thus before the summer break ends and action resumes with the 21-race 2019 season’s 13th race, the Belgian Grand Prix, at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

More from Formula One

Bottas’s struggles leading up to the summer break should certainly make this decision more interesting. However, one basic underlying question remains, and it is a question that nobody seems to be asking.

Why is Ocon even in this discussion?

The answer seems obvious.

He is a young and talented driver who Mercedes don’t want to let get away. At 22 years old, he is more than seven years younger than the almost-30 Bottas. He was also left off this year’s Formula 1 grid only because Canadian billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll led a consortium and purchased Ocon’s ex-team (Sahara Force India, now SportPesa Racing Point), only to replace Ocon with his son Lance.

Wolff has made clear that he feels that Ocon should have had a ride this year, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anybody who disagrees with him.

But is it really?

In both of his seasons driving for Force India, Ocon was beaten by teammate Sergio Perez, and by somewhat sizable (relatively speaking for the mid-pack teams) 13-point margins in both years (100 to 87 in 2017 and 62 to 49 in 2018).

Granted, Perez hasn’t lost to a teammate since the 2014 season, but for a driver who is in the discussion to potentially make a move to the sport’s top team to challenge one of the sport’s greatest drivers of all-time, you’d expect much more than this.

Yet Stroll, who is undoubtedly talented but flat-out wouldn’t be in Formula 1 if not for his father’s deep pockets, is currently ahead of Perez in the driver standings by five points (18 to 13).

Much of this has to do with his somewhat fluky fourth place finish in the German Grand Prix, but he is still slated to beat the driver who entered the season on what was tied for the longest teammate winning streak (four seasons) in Formula 1. He entered the season tied with four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Scuderia Ferrari in this category.

Then there’s the aspect of what could be considered Ocon’s selfish driving style. In his two seasons driving alongside Perez, there were countless incidents of these two teammates encountering problems with one another on the track.

Additionally, while trying to unlap himself, he crashed into race leader Verstappen in last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix, ruining Verstappen’s shot at winning the race.

If there’s one thing Mercedes can’t afford at this stage, it’s the tension that existed within the team in 2016 between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

The 2016 Spanish Grand Prix was a disaster for the team and for the relationship between the two drivers even with Mercedes being so far ahead of the rest of the competition, so they certainly cannot afford to have another incident or other incidents like this one now with the top three teams running a lot closer to one another on a regular basis.

Finally, there’s the aspect of not trying to fix what isn’t broken. Bottas certainly isn’t Hamilton, but he is (a) capable of winning races, (b) willing to be a team player to help Hamilton win championships and (c) able to score solid points to keep Mercedes at the top of the constructor standings.

He has demonstrated each of these three traits time and time again since replacing Rosberg ahead of the 2017 season.

And it has paid off. Hamilton is on track to win his third championship in three seasons as Bottas’s teammate, and Mercedes are on track to win their third championship in three seasons with the pairing as well.

Why risk losing one or both of these championships for the first time since 2013 by signing Ocon for the 2020 season?

Next. Top 10 Formula 1 drivers of all-time. dark

Esteban Ocon certainly shouldn’t be ruled out of landing a ride with Mercedes at some point in the future. However, why he is even in the discussion to replace Valtteri Bottas for the 2020 Formula 1 season is somewhat of a mystery given the team’s current situation and Ocon’s recent past.

And let’s be honest; Toto Wolff even hinted at this a while back when he urged Renault to sign him on loan for next year. If he was sold on him driving for Mercedes next year, why bother?

Home/Formula One