Esteban Ocon, Alpine driver, reaffirmed his existing affiliation with Mercedes, as both the future of the driver and the team in Formula 1 in 2025 remain uncertain.
Ocon’s current contract with Alpine expires at the end of this season, while Mercedes is evaluating possible candidates to replace Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to Ferrari.
Both parties have previously stated that Mercedes continues to manage Ocon’s career in Formula 1, despite him driving for the Enstone-based team since 2020.
Alpine had a difficult start to this season, with their A524 car being overweight and uncompetitive, resulting in the team scoring only one point in the first seven races.
Ocon, who believes it would not be wise to become George Russell’s teammate at Mercedes, revealed that discussions about his future have already taken place.
Regarding his long-standing connection with Mercedes, Ocon said last week: “I still consider myself a Mercedes junior driver. The management aspect has remained unchanged since 2015. We are having many discussions and will determine what is best for my future.”
Ocon dismissed the idea that he could be seen as a conflict of interest being linked to other teams while still under contract with Alpine.
The French driver, who has also been linked to a move to Haas, wants to avoid repeating his experience on the sidelines in 2019.
“We’ll see about that. I don’t think it’s the current topic,” he said. “Certainly, there is a lot going on behind the scenes, not only in terms of securing a long-term contract, but also in terms of short-term plans. Formula 1 is a constantly changing environment, but my main goal is to secure my future as soon as possible. That has always been clear to me.”
“I don’t want to go through what happened at the end of 2018 again. It wasn’t a pleasant memory and had nothing to do with my performance. I believe I have been doing well this year and throughout my time in Formula 1, so I deserve a place in the sport.”
“We will see. Right now, my focus is entirely on this team. I have been involved in this project for years, and that is very clear. However, there is a darker side to Formula 1 that I have never liked. Therefore, the sooner this situation is resolved, the better.”
