Breaking news
Formula 1
Ocon learned "a lot of things" from year out of F1
Esteban Ocon insists that he's benefited from his year as reserve driver for the Mercedes Formula 1 team, despite a lack of testing miles.
Adam Cooper
Edited: Sep 18, 2019, 3:13 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Ocon, who will race for Renault next year, was given the Mercedes role when he was unable to find a race seat after Lance Stroll took his place at Racing Point.
His main job this season has been as a simulator driver at Brackley on race weekends, although he did get to drive the W10 for two days in last week's 2020 Pirelli tyre test at Paul Ricard.
The current rules mean that he has not been able to run the sort of test mileage once enjoyed by the likes of Fernando Alonso, who took a year out of racing as Renault's third driver in 2002.
Read Also:
- How Ocon ended up back at the team that rejected him
- Wolff didn’t lose trust in Renault despite Ocon snub
However, Ocon insists that he's made the most of his time out of racing, and has learned simply by observing the team in action.
"A lot of things," he said when asked by Motorsport.com what he had gained. "I didn't drive as much as I would have liked to. Back in those days you could test the cars and drive millions of kilometres before getting back in it.
"I've done that in the simulator. I did test all the parts that the team put on the weekend. So I am aware of all the latest news of the current generation of cars. I think that's a positive thing.
"On the other side not being driving I could also learn the other part of the world of F1, which is more experience, more knowledge for me and more things learned for the future.
"Seeing what the team expect from a driver, some things you cannot think about when you are racing. Because you don't hear the people speaking internally and all that.
"As Toto [Wolff] always says, the more things you see and the more knowledge you have for the future, the more experience that makes in the end. And that makes you a better athlete, also a better driver in the end, a better package."
Ocon says that a year on the sidelines has made him hungry to return to race action in 2020.
"This year has been tough mentally and on the emotion side as well, seeing those guys go so well and me being on the sideline. It's not something that's particularly great.
"But I think it can only make you stronger and more keen to come back, and I'm more hungry for when I come back."
Although he was asked to do the Pirelli test by Mercedes, Ocon will be phased out of any work that focuses on next season.
"Esteban and I discussed how long he should stay in the various roles," said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
"The longer you stay the more information you're going to take with you. He said of course I'm going to take all this information with me!
"It's a transition. He's in our simulator, and that is an important role in helping us to develop the car. But step by step Esteban is going to fade out of the meetings about the future, about things that impact next year's car or that we deem to be sensitive from the engineering or innovation point of view.
"But he still is with us this season and does some very valuable work that we need in order to win this championship."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Why a key title-winning team builder is leaving F1
Next article Renault says fighting McLaren an "awkward situation"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Adam Cooper
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Formula 1
Formula 1
Japanese GP
RB: Tsunoda “mentally on a different level” in 2024
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti planning F2 and F3 entries to promote US talent to F1 team
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
Formula 1
Formula 1
Andretti F1 team formally opens new Silverstone facility
More from
Esteban Ocon
Dropped Esteban Ocon defiant: Formula 1 is “where I belong”
Formula 1
Formula 1
Bahrain GP in Malaysia
Dropped Esteban Ocon defiant: Formula 1 is “where I belong”
Toyota denies 2027 WEC deal with Esteban Ocon
WEC
WEC
Fuji
Toyota denies 2027 WEC deal with Esteban Ocon
You Ask The Questions: Esteban Ocon
Formula 1
Belgian GP
You Ask The Questions: Esteban Ocon
More from
Mercedes
‘I’ll put a pillow under his butt’ – How Toto Wolff wants to solve Kimi Antonelli’s track limits problem
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
‘I’ll put a pillow under his butt’ – How Toto Wolff wants to solve Kimi Antonelli’s track limits problem
George Russell calls Red Bull "the team to beat" in F1, but Kimi Antonelli adds a key caveat
Formula 1
Formula 1
Singapore GP
George Russell calls Red Bull "the team to beat" in F1, but Kimi Antonelli adds a key caveat
Latest news
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
44 min
Why NASCAR is not penalizing Stenhouse, McDowell for post-race theatrics
Dale Jr. explains why he doesn't use 'Earnhardt' in his signature
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup 2 h
Dale Jr. explains why he doesn't use 'Earnhardt' in his signature
NASCAR to allow brake rotor and pad changes after Phoenix qualifying
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Charlotte II
2 h
NASCAR to allow brake rotor and pad changes after Phoenix qualifying
Why Christian Horner banned Mercedes' name as Red Bull built its own F1 engine
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
2 h
Why Christian Horner banned Mercedes' name as Red Bull built its own F1 engine
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe