‘Mercedes junior’ stakes claim for Lewis Hamilton’s seat with clear deadline set

Esteban Ocon has again raised the possibility that he could switch to Mercedes as he declared himself a “Mercedes junior” in his mind.

The Frenchman may drive for Alpine but he continues to have close links to the Brackley squad with team principal Toto Wolff serving as his manager, making a move back there not out of the question.

Esteban Ocon hints at possible Mercedes return

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Ocon earned a place in the Mercedes academy after winning the 2014 F3 European Championship and the 2015 GP3 Series and served as the team’s reserve driver in 2019.

But having got back into a full-time seat with Renault in 2020, he is now being linked with a move back to Brackley as the Silver Arrows look to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Asked about his ties with the team, Ocon hinted they were closer than most assumed and that he still considers himself a Mercedes junior.

“I’m still in my mind a Mercedes junior,” he told media in Imola including PlanetF1.com. “The management side, that hasn’t changed since 2015.

“We are discussing a lot. We will decide what’s best for my future.”

Asked if he is faced with a conflict of interest of driving for one team while being linked with another with a vacant seat, Ocon did not entirely agree but said he did not want to have another season on the sidelines.

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“We’ll see about that, I don’t think that’s the topic for now,” he said. “For sure, there’s a lot happening behind, not only looking for a long term deal then also the short term.

“Formula 1, things can change quickly, but the important thing is to be secured as early as possible. That is a clear target of mine as always.

“I don’t want to pay the price the second time like there was at the end of 2018, which was not a good memory, it was not for performance reasons.

“I think I’m doing a good job again this year and for the years that I’ve been in F1. So I deserve to have a place in F1.

“We’ll see. At the moment, my head is fully into this team, is fully dedicated, I’ve been in the project for years, that is very clear, but in Formula 1, it’s quite a dark side [to be without a deal] and not the one that I’ve ever enjoyed. So as soon as it will be done, the better it will be.”

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