Ocon on Schumacher at Mercedes: 'Then that's a very big asset'

Schumacher, like Nyck de Vries last season, is present at every Grand Prix. Should a driver at McLaren not be fit enough to take part in a Grand Prix, Schumacher is also the first option as a replacement. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is hoping for a route à la De Vries for Schumacher. In other words, the aim is for the former Formula 2 and Formula 3 champion to return to Formula 1 in one or two years' time.

Speaking to Racefans.net, Ocon called it a "rare opportunity" to work with a team that has long dominated Formula 1 and has a huge amount of knowledge. According to the 26-year-old driver, how valuable that is is still sometimes underestimated. "It’s a very great asset, when you come back as a full-time driver," he said.

Ocon knows all about it himself. After his forced departure from Racing Point (now Aston Martin), he had to watch from the sidelines for a year. The Frenchman, who was still a Mercedes protégé at the time, switched to present-day Alpine a year later. There, he benefited from having a year of looking over the shoulders of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.

"You’ve seen a team like that work from the inside and you have keys and information that you can bring to your future team. So I’m hoping Mick will find a solution very soon. And I have no doubt that a team would be interested in him," Ocon said. At Mercedes, George Russell is still on long-term contract and Hamilton is also under contract, so at the German racetrack the short-term options seem few.