Esteban Ocon [L] Max Verstappen [R] (images via IMAGO)
Max Verstappen and Esteban Ocon have been fierce rivals ever since their karting days. The reigning F1 world champion has battled against the Frenchman in multiple championships including the 2014 Formula 3 European Championship. However, it was the Dutch driver who got the call-up to Formula 1 with Toro Rosso. While Ocon struggled to continue his career.
In the 2014 Formula 3 European Championship, Esteban Ocon emerged victorious with Max Verstappen finishing in third place. However, the Frenchman failed to get any opportunity like the future F1 champion. Moreover, the Lotus F1 driver academy which supported Ocon was on the verge of shutting down. Subsequently, his entire career was on the line.
It's things that were out of our control let's say and that's the moment where i was actually join my dad as a mechanic. The program I was in, which was called Lotus F1 team junior and Gravity Sport Management had no money for me to continue.
Esteban Ocon recalled contacting Mercedes boss Toto Wolff on a constant basis during that period. The French driver had won the F3 Euro title with a Mercedes engine and hoped to get an opportunity to continue his racing dream. The Frenchman admitted that he was furious during the transition period from 2014 to 2015 as the Alpine driver claimed that the circumstances were not fair. A subtle take on Max Verstappen’s 2015 F1 debut at the age of 17.
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In this transition from 2014 to 2015, I was on the phone constantly calling Toto [Wolff] asking him you know if there was any solution for me. I was very pissed off during those times. That was very very difficult cause to me it was not fair.
Esteban Ocon admits his racing career was on the line before Mercedes’ backing
The French driver managed to get a budget to race in the GP3 series in 2015 with the help of Toto Wolff and Fred Vasseur. Ocon won the title that year which further earned him the support of the Mercedes driver academy. This allowed Esteban Ocon to finally make his F1 debut mid-way through 2016 with the Manor F1 team. Ocon even collided with Max Verstappen while trying to unlap himself at the 2018 Brazilian GP.
Lewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon (Via IMAGO)
Ocon highlighted that he was not completely frustrated about not getting a call-up from an F1 team for 2015. However, the French driver was concerned about his own survival in motorsport with a lack of funding. Esteban Ocon has credited Toto Wolff for saving his F1 career in the past as well.
Not saying that I would go to F1 because I always believed my time will come but in those moments I wasn't sure if i was gonna even continue racing.
Ultimately, Esteban Ocon became a prominent midfield F1 contender with Force India. The Frenchman spent a year on the sidelines in 2019 before reuniting with Team Enstone (now Alpine) where he continues to race to this day. Ocon continues to be managed by Mercedes despite moving to its rival in 2020. On the other hand, Max Verstappen become an F1 world champion and established himself as one of the greatest drivers in history.
Armaan Agarwal is a Formula 1 Sub-editor and Content Manager at Firstsportz. He has written over 2000 articles with hundreds of edited pieces under his belt. Armaan started his journey in the field of Motorsports journalism in 2017 when he created his own blog. He has played a pivotal role in the Motorsports team with his experience and passion. Armaan is known for his in-depth editorials which give readers a new perspective about the sport. He completed his graduation in Mass Communication from St. Xavier's University, Kolkata and is now pursuing his post-graduation in Broadcast Journalism from the India Today Media Institute.
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