How Ocon spent his year in the shadows

Anyone who sets their alarm for 3.50am deserves sympathy. Doubly so if they only managed to get to sleep at 3.20am. But this is a typical Friday night for Mercedes' main man on the sidelines: Esteban Ocon.

For the European races the Mercedes reserve driver spends his Friday evenings at the team's Brackley simulator, regularly clocking up more than 1000km. Once finished, he's whisked to the airport to board the first flight to wherever on the continent that weekend's grand prix is taking place.

On this occasion, F1 Racing catches up with Ocon at the Austrian Grand Prix. The previous evening he'd completed 221 laps of the Red Bull Ring - virtually - finishing at just gone 2am. Three hours later he was walking through the terminal at Heathrow airport for the first flight of the day to Vienna.

He managed to get some kip on the hour and a half journey from Brackley to the airport, dozed on the flight, and had more shut-eye during the two-hour trip from Vienna to the Red Bull Ring. Ocon was in the pits in time for final practice, prepared, just on the off-chance something unexpected befell Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas.

"I have to be here, perhaps not in the best condition, but yes, definitely - I jump in," says Ocon, ready if Hamilton or Bottas have a problem. Thankfully the gruelling routine doesn't apply to flyaway races, where Ocon is present at the circuit all weekend.

"When this opportunity came around I insisted that I am always at the track. It's very important for me not to leave this world. I really want to be here and not forgotten."

Rewind 12 months and the circumstances of Ocon's move to Mercedes' reserve ranks were set in motion. Team boss Toto Wolff was guiding his career. Having been impressed by the young Frenchman in Formula 3 (where Ocon eclipsed Max Verstappen en route to the title), Wolff subsequently supported Ocon in GP3, knowing that from his humble background Esteban didn't have the finances to compete without patronage.

When he was placed against Sergio Perez at Force India in 2017 Ocon shone, fearlessly failing to kowtow to his more established team-mate and regularly displaying electric flashes of speed. But the following year, when Perez set into motion the winding-up petition to rescue financially crippled Force India from closure, it gave the Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll an opportunity to buy the team.

Although he had done nothing wrong, the end was nigh for Ocon. He ultimately lost his seat to Lance Stroll and fans were both in uproar and saddened by the injustice. To Ocon's great credit, he took the loss of his race seat magnanimously.

"The good thing about my situation is that it wasn't because the bosses were not happy with my performance," he says. "It was for a totally different reason - more political than sporting. I'm very lucky that Mercedes still shows me support and it looks after me. Sometimes in racing it can be cruel
 and you can be left out, but Mercedes cares and want its drivers to progress."

Plans to place Ocon at Renault for 2019 fell apart when Daniel Ricciardo jumped ship from Red Bull, so Wolff made the decision to bring Ocon closer to the fold, appointing him the team's official reserve driver. With that, the 22-year old has been studying the nuances of a championship-winning outfit and utilising his own talent to help the team. The experience has given Ocon a new insight into the world of F1 outside the cockpit.

"It's a very different approach," he says. "Of course, I would like to be racing, but it's good to have the experience and see how the team works. I spend more time speaking with engineers than when I was a driver. That's because I'm in the factory more, listening to every debrief, understanding how they make decisions about tyres and strategy. It's good, because when I come back to F1 I will be more complete as a driver."

In addition to his reserve driver duties, Ocon has also been working with French TV broadcaster Canal+ at races, taking on the role of pundit. It's another side of the industry that
 has surprised him.

"I realise that it's not just the teams that work hard in the paddock. For the TV crews and the media it's long hours too. At one race I did a live TV grid walk from the back to the front. Being on the other side, it's really difficult to get people to talk to you and get the right answer. Now, as a driver, I'll make a bit more effort to make it easier for the guys asking the questions."

Ocon believed he would have more spare time on his hands this season, but finds his diary is busier than when he was racing 21 times a year. His other duties have involved Mercedes sponsor appearances and time in the Racing Point simulator, while maintaining the levels of fitness and stamina required to jump in a car at a moment's notice. In an interview in Paris last year, Ocon revealed to F1 Racing that he only had 2.8% body fat - and reiterates that's all he still has before adding, "what was I saying...? I forgot. Too little sleep!"

The previous day, in Brackley, Ocon was with the engineers in the team's race report room watching FP1 and listening to the radio traffic from pitwall to both drivers. He then listened in to the debriefs at the end of each session.

"After FP2, that's when I start the correlation work on the simulator," says Ocon. "The intention there is to get the car the same in the sim as we have on track. By the time we have done that, we then receive all the test items. At about 5.30pm we run all the aspects of the car the team at the track wants the answers for ahead of FP3 and qualifying.

"Last night I did 954km [593 miles] and 221 laps, then travelled overnight and flew from London to be at the track for Saturday. I can help either driver or their engineers with questions about optimising setup for the car. I've tested everything, so from my report everyone is interested in my comments."

Despite his lack of sleep, Ocon is typically upbeat and remains a popular figure, given the amount of times our conversation is interrupted by well-wishers hoping he returns to the starting grid soon.

At the time of our conversation - pre-summer break - Ocon's outlook was informed by the uncertainty surrounding his future. That has subsequently been resolved via a Mercedes-blessed alliance with Renault.

"If another team finds an agreement with Mercedes it's possible for me to be released for some time," Ocon confirmed back then. "Toto has said if he finds a good solution for me, he's open to releasing me."

The most important aspect for Ocon is that he made clear to Wolff he wanted to maintain a presence at races. That way he ensured he's on people's radars and not at home feeling sorry for himself - even if he finds the lack of sleep particularly gruelling.

"Look, I've nothing else to do," he adds. "If my career is on standby, then my life is on standby. I have nothing else."