How Ocon ended up back at the team that rejected him

In August last year, Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff was left fuming when Renault abandoned its plans to take his protege Esteban Ocon for 2019 and signed Daniel Ricciardo instead.

Yet a little over a year after that rejection, Ocon was announced as a Renault driver for 2020. Wolff and Cyril Abiteboul are not only best pals again, but they also form a mutual admiration society that is rare in a world where you wouldn't be surprised to hear that a team boss has sold his own grandmother.

So how did this unusual situation unfold, and what's in it for the various parties?

The story kicked off last summer. As Force India's engine supplier, Wolff had an inside line on what was unfolding at the team where Ocon was then driving. He knew that there were two possible scenarios - that Force India would collapse, or it would be saved by Lawrence Stroll. Either way, there would be no seat for Ocon on 2019, as it was evident that in the second example Sergio Perez would stay alongside Lance Stroll.

Wolff therefore had to find a new home for Mercedes junior Ocon, and Renault and McLaren were logical targets. Ocon already had a good relationship with the Enstone camp, having originally been brought through the ranks by former Lotus owner Genii. He first tested a 'Team Enstone' F1 car as long ago as November 2014 in Abu Dhabi, before later moving under the wing of Mercedes after a financial squeeze limited his options at Lotus.

Ocon's appeal to Renault was obvious. Heading into 2019, he would have two and half years of F1 race experience behind him, with Manor and Force India/Racing Point, and he had already established himself as one of the top young stars of the era. The fact that he was French was a handy PR bonus.

In taking Red Bull's Carlos Sainz Jr for 2017 and '18 Renault had demonstrated that it was willing to hire a driver who potentially had long-term commitments elsewhere, if it was expedient. The planned arrangement with Mercedes was simple - Ocon would remain under the management of the world champion squad, but for the duration of any contract he would belong to Renault, and couldn't be called back.

A deal was agreed between Wolff and Abiteboul but, crucially, it wasn't signed. Then, immediately after the 2018 Hungarian GP an opportunity presented itself for Renault.

Ricciardo had been mulling over his future and, having decided that he wanted to move on from Red Bull, rekindled discussions with Renault that had appeared to have fizzled out.

"He is a fully-fledged Renault works driver for the next two years, with certain options afterwards on both sides. No clause to come back in 2021" Toto Wolff on Esteban Ocon's status

Given his responsibility to further the interests of his team, Abiteboul could hardly turn down the chance to hire a seven-time grand prix winner, and a deal - a costly one as court documents show - was quickly done. He then had to tell Wolff that Renault wouldn't be signing the Ocon contract after all.

The Mercedes boss was understandably furious. He subsequently tried everything to find an alternative seat for his protege, and at one stage it seemed possible that Ocon would go to McLaren, even within 2018 as part of a merry-go-round of driver moves.

That didn't happen, as Sainz - no longer part of Renault's plans - landed the McLaren drive, and there was no 2019 race seat for Ocon. But a bullish Wolff insisted on a regular basis that he would definitely find one for '20, a promise that gave Valtteri Bottas plenty of food for thought.

As this year's summer break approached, Wolff made it clear that Mercedes faced a straight choice between Bottas and Ocon for 2020. There were many factors to consider, including what would happen to the 'loser' in this contest, how a Hamilton/Ocon line-up would impact the dynamic in the camp, and also how long Ocon would be out of reach if he was committed elsewhere and could not be recalled until 2022 or beyond.

In the end Mercedes decided to keep Bottas, and - against the odds - managed to place Ocon at Renault at the second time of asking. For the time being, Ocon belongs to the French manufacturer.

"There is no clause," says Wolff. "He is a full-fledged Renault works driver for the next two years, and with certain options afterwards on both sides. No clause to come back in 2021.

"Esteban is a 100% Renault driver, in a factory team, he will have to give everything for Renault. It is also in his own interest to perform at a very high level. He won't care about Mercedes, his objective will always be to do the best job for Renault, and for that reason, after two or three years, depending on what is happening at Renault and what Esteban wants to do, it is open to him to choose."

"Things are clear," says Abiteboul. "There is a management company that happens to be Mercedes, because Mercedes has done a great job, they have invested in Esteban, in the same way that we are investing in other young drivers.

"We never lost the trust. There are so many common things we discuss between Renault and Mercedes, and as much as the situation on Esteban affected us and we let some words slip, this is part of the game" Toto Wolff

"I understand and we are well aware of this contractual relationship, but Mercedes will have no rights over Esteban while he is with us. Anyway, when the visor is down, I think you forget a lot of things in a way, you focus on your performance and I don't expect anything else from Esteban."

Discussions over a second chance for Ocon at Renault began to gather momentum earlier this season. Mercedes' young driver guru Gwen Lagrue, who has proved a master of putting such deals together, worked tirelessly away in the background to make it happen.

Wolff is not the kind of guy to hold grudges, and to his credit he saw a bigger picture that some of his contemporaries might not have been able to grasp. He recognised that this wasn't about the personalities involved in a typical F1 paddock ego clash, but two major carmakers with boards and shareholders to answer to - and there was Ocon's future to consider.

Putting the past behind was a public sign of the canny management skills that have helped to keep Wolff's team on top since the start of the hybrid era.

"Renault and Mercedes are fantastic brands that have an industrial collaboration," he explains. "Our CEOs get on with each other, and we have been getting on with each other for a long time. We are able to be brutally honest with each other, and I think it's important because we're doing it for the benefit of our teams, and for the benefit of F1.

"Sometimes objectives will diverge and will not be the same, and you have to try to put yourself into the shoes of the other one and say, 'Why are they doing that?'

"After a while, when things go against you, you can see the other's perspective, even if you disagree. But I think that helps you to understand why decisions are being taken. And we get on personally very well, and I respect Cyril's decision and his constant drive to make his own team better.

"You can see, even if we were upset last year about how things were going, we find each other 13 months later with a top solution for Esteban. So it's important to always keep that long-term vision in your relationships."

Despite some harsh words last year, Wolff was able to rebuild the fractured relationship with Abiteboul and Renault.

"We never lost the trust," he continues. "There are so many common things that we discuss between Renault and Mercedes, where we discuss how the sport should go, and that as much as the situation on Esteban affected us and we let some words slip, this is part of the game.

"There were phases where we were upset with each other, but then you need to move on. It hasn't changed anything on the respect I have for Cyril, and the respect I have for Renault as a brand. That's why we moved on. We need to play hard and forgive quickly."

Abiteboul also had to move on from last year's bad feeling, and for Renault coming back for Ocon a second time took some cheek.

"There's been some things in the air last year that did not crystallise," says Abiteboul. "And I'm extremely happy that we've been able to make that happen this year, thanks to [Wolff's] confidence, but also a lot of effort and commitment from Esteban. And also Gwen, who I would like to thank a lot.

"I was not feeling extremely comfortable at the way things developed last year. Certainly it was absolutely not a good thing, but it was clearly not our intention to leave this guy [Ocon] behind, and to trigger the chain reaction that our decision to seize the opportunity of Daniel would cause.

"I don't think we can provide all the details, but I think it's been a whole dynamic probably [that] was not well handled last year by our two companies. And I think that's why I think we've done better this year, I think we've been a bit clearer with each other about parameters and timing, and we simply stick to timing and deadlines. It's been an extremely fluid discussion, it's been extremely transparent, with one simple objective."

Abiteboul says that when the 2019 decision first went in favour of Ricciardo, no consideration was given to trying to find a spot for Ocon in '20.

"No, you can't think too much ahead of yourself in this sport," he adds. "You need to take one step at a time, be fully committed to a decision here and now. It was such a big thing for us that we needed to get that [Ricciardo deal] done.

"We also knew there was a big risk of upsetting Mercedes, let's be honest, and you can't do that and at the same [time] thinking 'I'll come back next year and it's all going to be fine'.

"You have to take it step-by-step, and also look at the dynamic of the two drivers that we had this year, and of the team, which again is the main reason why we have decided to do what we are doing. It's all happening for a particular purpose, which is what's happening on track."

That's a key part of the explanation. Three years ago, Renault made a big commitment by choosing Nico Hulkenberg as part of its rebuilding programme. Now a Ricciardo/Hulkenberg combination is no longer regarded as the way forward, and Renault believes that the German's face no longer fits. Ocon is seen as the man to help the team challenge the establish top three next year.

"It has to be the plan when we made the decision," says Abiteboul. "But we know also that much more has to come for this to happen. Racing top teams like Mercedes and others so that we can fight for wins is the plan. It takes time, let's be honest. It takes a bit more time maybe than we would want. We are in a world that is expecting short-term delivery of results and performance.

"We think it's the right moment to start having some fresher blood" Cyril Abiteboul

"But you look at these teams, they are extremely well established, well funded, extremely well organised. It's very difficult to make your way into the top three. But that's obviously what we are striving to do, and I believe Esteban can help us in doing that."

One intriguing part of the future dynamic is the fact that last year Renault and Abiteboul rejected Ocon in favour of Ricciardo. Does that create a slightly awkward situation now Ocon is finally in the Enstone camp?

"It's a bit easy to summarise things in this way, obviously," says Abiteboul. "But I understand the question. You know when you have to make a tough decision on a driver, you're not just looking at the man and his pace, on sector one, two on low downforce, high downforce.

"You're looking at the whole dynamic, you're looking at what's best in the given moment of the life of a guy, of a young man. And in the life of a team that can be young. So you know this whole dynamic, this whole synergy, that you need to analyse."

Abiteboul, who denies taking Ocon to appease the Renault parent company, insists Ricciardo was the driver the team needed at the time, and that now is the right moment to take on a youngster. He makes an intriguing reference to taking on the sort of coming-driver/veteran team-mate contest taking place at Ferrari - and which Mercedes has explicitly avoided by keeping Bottas.

"We think it's the right moment to start having some fresher blood," he says. "So it's also a shift of dynamic to start being ready for welcoming young drivers in our line-up. It's not something that I would have been capable of doing two years ago, but I think that we've more maturity in the team, and we can now seize the chance.

"That will be a good test, to see if we're also capable of managing, because it's a different type of management. Managing someone who is 22, or in his 30s, that's different."

Wolff, meanwhile, has plenty of future options. Hamilton and Bottas are under contract, George Russell is developing well and available in 2021 if needed, and Ocon will be potentially be accessible in '22. There's no rush to promote either of the youngsters.

"We had very difficult years between Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis, with controversy, rivalry and animosity," Wolff recalls. "It was very bad in terms of atmosphere and collaborative spirit. That is one reason for this choice. The other is that Valtteri is up against five-time world champion Hamilton, and he is doing his job very well.

"Esteban, we've believed in him for a long time, he's progressed very well, we had the opportunity at Manor and then at Force India, it worked well. He would have liked to be next to Lewis, who is at the top, but is this a good time?

"I think that the situation at Renault, as a French driver, in a French factory team, with a Ricciardo as a reference, is better for his career.

"He is 22 years old, he can have a 15-year career in F1, and we forget that even very good people like Rosberg spent four or five years at Williams. I'm not comparing Williams with Renault, but I think there are a lot of arguments that go well for Esteban and Renault, and a lot of arguments that go well for Valtteri, who deserves to stay in our team."