Ocon-Renault, new approach?

We are a long way from the madness of last year, when the announcement of the arrival of Daniel Ricciardo at Renault had triggered a wild game of musical chairs. The latter proved fatal for Esteban Ocon, forced to become a Mercedes reserve after a friendly ousting of the late Force India, itself the result of a failed transfer to the Jaunes-et-Noirs. While the young Frenchman was a legitimate candidate for the seat of Valtteri Bottas in the event of another sluggishness from the Finn this season, the man from the North responded with a very solid first third of the campaign, all without overshadowing the leader Lewis Hamilton.

In short, Mercedes has no interest in breaking the great internal dynamic that is blowing over the German team since the departure of Nico Rosberg at the end of 2016. So where could Ocon bounce back? Racing Point where boss Otmar Szafnauer still holds him in high esteem? It's more like the track Renault which is heating up if we are to believe the attitude and comments of everyone in the paddock. Remember that the current contract of Nico Hulkenberg expires at the end of the season, even if there are option mechanisms to extend the adventure.

Asked at Castellet about a possible interest from Losange for the native of Évreux, Cyril Abiteboul came a response from Normand. “Perhaps we will continue to go a long way with Nico, declared the general director of Renault Sport Racing. He clearly lived up to the expectations placed on him. When we see where we were when he joined the team at the end of 2016, the difference with today in terms of performance, energy and interest around the team, etc., it's not just to the credit of engineers.

The pilots played a key role in this. We have to give him credit for that. Afterwards, like any stable, ne keep our options open, and so does Nico. We'll see where we are after the summer break. “It will be time to get together around a table to discuss it.”

On the Mercedes side, we are still heated by the aborted recruitment of Ocon in the heart of a deadly summer of 2018. Under an agreement in principle with the German manufacturer, the Force India driver was about to be loaned to his French counterpart when he had the rug pulled out from under him by Ricciardo. An episode that Toto wolff, boss of the Silver Arrows, has not forgotten. « I like Cyril but first he needs to restore his gentleman image and work on shaking hands if we want to evoke a new gentleman's agreement, quipped the Austrian manager. 

Esteban's future is a hot topic as he is clearly one of the most promising young drivers and deserves to be on the grid. This can be seen in the interest he is generating for 2020. I am very optimistic about the chances of seeing Esteban in F1 next year ". We just hope that the main person concerned doesn't find himself in trouble for a second year in a row.