Watch Ocon speak to Sky F1's Ted Kravitz in a fascinating feature
Tuesday 4 December 2018 16:06, UK
Esteban Ocon has told Sky F1 that he trusts Mercedes to do what his right for his future, and believes there will be "great opportunities".
The only issue is, those opportunities may not come until the 2020 season.
Ocon remains one of the major points of intrigue in the driver market; the highly-rated 22-year-old, set to be replaced by Lance Stroll at Force India, saw options at McLaren and Renault fall through and is currently without a seat for next year.
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff is now looking for an alternative for his protege.
"I had a fantastic choice of going into McLaren and going to Renault, but nothing went as planned and now I'm here in this situation," Ocon admitted to Sky F1's Ted Kravitz in Austin last weekend.
With only three seats remaining on next year's grid, Ocon last remaining chance appears to be at Williams, who have already said that he is on a "short, short list" for the drive.
Ocon hopes to join fellow Mercedes youngster George Russell at the Grove team.
"People see it in a way that George steals my seat, but that's not the way at all - I'm very happy for George," said Ocon.
"There is still a second seat available and hopefully I will join that team."
Russell, the F2 leader, has signed a multi-year deal at Williams and that is thought to be a key reason why the team opted for him before Ocon, who is looking to only commit to a single season.
So why the short-term thinking?
Well, Ocon has been convinced that he will have many more opportunities available to him in 2020 and, though the Frenchman would love a Williams drive, he is increasingly open to taking an F1 sabbatical and sitting out a year.
"I trust Toto," Ocon explained. "He has always found solutions for me.
"Even if I don't have a seat next year, we see great opportunities for 2020.
"I hope the future will be bright."
Mercedes: 'Plan B' for Ocon
Wolff has already claimed that Mercedes have already prepared a "Plan B" for Ocon, insisting they are not desperate for a seat for next season for a driver they believe will win championships in a Silver Arrow in the future.
The Mercedes boss added: "One thing I can guarantee to you is that he's going to be in a good car in 2020 because there are many teams out there who have an interest in Esteban."
Robert Kubica and current driver Sergey Sirotkin, meanwhile, are believed to be the other contenders for Williams' remaining seat.
"It's not our call," added Wolff. "Williams need to make up their mind who they think is the best driver for their team. It's not only Esteban, I think there is Robert [Kubica] in the frame and others.
"All of them deserve the chance and Williams will make their choice."
Sky Sports F1 is the only place to watch every Formula 1 Grand Prix, qualifying and practice session live in 2018. Get Sky Sports F1.
