“There Were No Surprises”: Esteban Ocon Dives Deeper Into Controversial F1 Exit Amid Stroll’s Arrival

Alpine and Esteban Ocon are shutting down criticism and gaining momentum in each race. The Frenchman has been a revelation this season with finishes in the top 10 in all races but one. Alpine’s A522 is an incredible machine and Esteban Ocon is unlocking the full potential of the car. However, the current Alpine man did not have the smoothest ride to his current seat.

Racing Point ejected Esteban out of his seat ahead of the 2019 season. But Ocon predicted he was going to lose his seat in 2018 when the Racing point confirmed the investment of Laurence Stroll into the team.

With the investment of a Canadian billionaire, Ocon knew his son, Lance Stroll, will get a seat, and he was ready for the transition. Detailing the experience in the latest episode of F1: Beyond the Grid, Ocon shares his feelings regarding the situation.

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When asked if he will have to look for a seat somewhere else in 2019, Ocon shared his honest answer. He said, “Yeah, that was always the plan. There were no surprises, Lance was supposed to replace me at the end.”

“But we had two options in teams, not going to say which ones. But we had opportunities that we didn’t manage to put together for diverse political reasons, which I got pretty disappointed about. But failing into securing a seat, you know I did learn a lot.”

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Even after multiple offers, Ocon did not have a seat in 2019. But the current position he is in right now could have resulted from this situation.

Esteban Ocon and the important gap year at Mercedes

“Anyway, in 2019, joining Mercedes as a reserve role, you know they had plenty to offer to me, big duties, and we dominated 2019,” said Ocon, appreciating his role at Mercedes.

He also details his role in the cave and the late nights in the paddock and even the early track visits. The reserve role played an important part in Ocon’s development as he joined Renault in the subsequent year before moving to Alpine.

Now already a race winner with Alpine in 2021, Ocon will want to repeat the feat in 2022.