Ocon: F1 seat at Mercedes "just a matter of time"

Esteban Ocon has said he believes that a seat at Mercedes in Formula One is on the horizon and is "just a matter of time" before he is given the opportunity. Ocon's immediate future looks more cloudy however, with Lawrence Stroll's swoop to save Force India putting his drive at the team in doubt.

Ocon is currently part of the Mercedes junior driver programme after switching from Renault. The Frenchman is currently at Force India but believes that he will be given a chance at the Silver Arrows in the future.

Speaking to Autosport, Ocon revealed that his bosses had plans for his racing career that would not happen immediately but were on the cards down the line.

"The bosses (at Mercedes) have plans for me that are 'not yet'.

"It's not the plan for now. I think they want me to have more experience before I jump in that car.

"I knew that already. I have targets I have to respect.

"At the moment they are happy with the job I'm doing. It's just a matter of time, I think."

Mercedes signed Valtteri Bottas to another one-year deal with an option to extend that by a further year, taking him up to the end of the 2020 season where the driver market looks to be offering a massive shake-up in the F1 world.

Whilst that silly season is a few more years away, the immediate future for Ocon is unclear after a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll saved the Force India team from administration, immediately linking son Lance Stroll with a seat at the team for 2019.

Despite that, he reasserted that he felt comfortable and that he would know his future position soon.

"My future will be sorted out soon," Ocon said. "I'm not worried at all.

"I'm not in a position (with) the knife under my chin.

"The job we are doing with Force India this year is strong and everyone is happy with that.

"I'm not in a position where I have to perform at any cost, and take massive risks in the race - I don't feel like that."