McLaren chief Zak Brown says that Esteban Ocon’s affiliation with Mercedes was a “tick in the wrong box” when the team was assessing its potential 2019 Formula 1 driver line-up.
McLaren spent several months assessing its driver options for next season, a list it had whittled down to four drivers at the most recent Grand Prix in Italy.
Those four were understood to be Force India pair Ocon and Sergio Perez, incumbent Stoffel Vandoorne, and reserve driver Lando Norris, whose appointment was then confirmed on Monday.
Ocon reportedly visited McLaren’s Woking base for a seat fitting but will not form part of its line-up for 2019, with Carlos Sainz Jr. having already been confirmed as Fernando Alonso’s replacement.
Ocon has held ties with Mercedes since his 2015 title-winning GP3 season, having been plucked from the Gravity Sports organisation, and progressed into DTM and Formula 1 with its backing.
“I think ultimately, you know, I think we want to have our own driver; Lando is who we wanted,” said Brown.
“Esteban is someone who we rate extremely highly, [but] any time a driver, when you’re looking for something long-term, has ties to another manufacturer, that’s a tick in the wrong box.
“Hopefully Esteban will get a ride, maybe stay where he is, because he certainly deserves to be in Formula 1.
“But these manufacturers having a call on these drivers is certainly something that is a negative when you’re not with that certain manufacturer and you want a five- or 10-year view of whether you want a driver."
Analysis: Ocon risks being loser of Silly Season
Ocon is Mercedes’ leading protégé, tested for the marque mid-2016, and has impressed during his two years racing for Manor and Force India.
But he risks being the biggest loser in a silly season that exploded into life in the summer break.
Mercedes was not willing to change its current line-up of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, meaning it needed to keep Ocon elsewhere for (at least) another year.
An agreement had been reached with Renault that would have resulted in Ocon renewing a relationship with the team for whom he made his FP1 debut in 2014 and had further outings in his role as test driver two years later.
That move looked a done deal – only for Renault to take advantage of Daniel Ricciardo’s desire for a fresh start and capture the Australian’s services on a two-year deal.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty at Force India was resolved courtesy of the Lawrence Stroll-led takeover, a move that will ostensibly mean son and current Williams racer Lance makes the switch at some stage, having already had a seat fitting.
Sergio Perez, the team’s long-serving driver who was in a position to jointly trigger the administration process that saved the team, has repeatedly said his 2019 plans are sorted.
That has been widely taken to mean that he will be staying at Force India.
Toro Rosso (Red Bull) has no interest in taking a Mercedes junior driver, while Haas and Sauber also appear to be closed doors for Ocon.
It likely leaves Williams as Ocon’s sole hope for 2019 and the team does have Mercedes connections that the manufacturer is trying to grow.
Ocon’s place on the 2019 Formula 1 grid is therefore far from certain – and the rumoured driver machinations could yet see Stroll parachuted into the VJM11 before 2018’s end.
Mercedes has already suggested that if it cannot find suitable solutions for its trio of youngsters – Ocon, George Russell and Pascal Wehrlein – then it will re-evaluate the viability of its young driver scheme.
Could that be too late for Ocon’s 2019 prospects?
