Ocon coy on Haas and Williams rumours

Martin Macdonald
Tuesday 23 July 2019 10:50

Esteban Ocon has neither confirmed nor denied that he is in line to replace Romain Grosjean at Haas or Robert Kubica at Williams, but did say his management are looking at every route possible for him to make a full-time return to F1.

The Frenchman was a victim of circumstance in the summer as he lost his seat with Force India after businessman Lawrence Stroll took over the team to start Racing Point, taking his son Lance to the team in the process at the expense of Ocon.

He is currently Mercedes’ reserve driver and continues to be backed by that team as a member of their driver academy, but he admits it is possible he could return with a team not affiliated with the Silver Arrows.

“What interests me the most is being able to race again in Formula 1,” he explained to RMC Sport.

“It is difficult for me not to race this year. The news last year that I will not be among the 20 drivers on the grid was hard to swallow, especially given my performances.

“All the options remain alive, because Mercedes is open-minded even if it’s with another engine manufacturer.

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“I can be loaned, that’s not a problem. My main goal is to drive in the official Mercedes team, but anything is possible,”

Addressing the rumours relating to Grosjean and Kubica directly, he played his cards close to his chest.

“As long as they are about you, it’s a good thing,” he said about the rumours.

“It shows that F1 as a whole has not forgotten about you. My management is working very hard to find solutions for me. Let’s just hope we find one very quickly.”