Ocon motivated by rivals' moves to top F1 teams

Esteban Ocon says seeing his former junior rivals move on to leading Formula 1 teams has made him “hungrier than ever” to land a drive for 2019.

The Frenchman’s F1 future remains uncertain following Lawrence Stroll’s takeover of the rebranded Force India squad, with the Canadian’s businessman’s son Lance Stroll expected to move to the team from Williams to partner Sergio Perez.

Stroll’s switch could come as early as the Russian Grand Prix, leaving Ocon’s seat at the Silverstone squad under threat, with Mercedes admitting the situation surrounding its junior driver’s future is “really complicated”.

Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly, who Ocon raced against – and beat in the case of Verstappen - during his rise up the junior single-seater ranks, will form Red Bull’s 2019 driver-line up, while highly-rated Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc has been confirmed as Kimi Raikkonen’s replacement at Ferrari next season.

“I have to thank everyone for all the kind messages and support I receive every day,” Ocon said in a post on Twitter.

“We have been in tough situations before and we’ve always overcome those, there was no easy way throughout my career.

“I can promise that it’s not at this moment I will give up. Motivation is high and my old time rivals are in top cars – this makes me hungrier than ever,” he added.

“I dream F1, I train F1, I eat F1, I play F1, I think F1. I’m born to race and my only goal is to be champion and will always be.”

Ocon's recent performances led to praise from multiple world champions Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, with both drivers suggesting he deserves a chance with a leading team.

Yet Ocon could be left without a drive should the anticipated Force India-Williams driver swaps occur before the end of the current campaign. Should such a scenario play out, Robert Kubica would naturally fill the void left by Stroll due to his role as Williams’ reserve driver.

The Grove-based squad could provide Ocon with his best hope of securing a seat for 2019, especially given its links to Mercedes though its engine deal with the German manufacturer.