Esteban Ocon is moving to Renault next year after signing a two-year deal but his current team principal, Toto Wolff feels that it's the right time for him to make the switch. Ocon has spent this season as Mercedes' reserve development driver after failing to secure a seat elsewhere.
Ocon will remain a key figure in making sure that Mercedes win the Championships towards the end of the season, but Wolff wants to be careful with how he manages Ocon as the season develops.
"Esteban and I discussed a week ago how long he should stay in the various roles, "as quoted by GP Today.
I said 'the longer you stay, the more information you're taking with you' and he said 'well, of course, I'm going to take all this information with me. So 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, things that impact next year's car or that are deemed to be sensitive from the engineering or innovation point of view."
There is no option in the deal to recall Ocon for the 2021 season meaning that Valteri Bottas will need to show his worth once again next term.