“You're my only chance”: Esteban Ocon almost quit racing if it weren’t for Mercedes boss’ timely intervention

Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon has opened up about his struggles to secure funding in the junior racing categories, and the time when Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's timely intervention saved his career.

Ocon won the European Formula 3 championship with Prema Powerteam, beating the likes of Max Verstappen in 2014. Despite racking up a title, his future remained in doubt due to a lack of funding. The 17-year-old Frenchman even considered quitting the sport to work as a mechanic with his dad.

Esteban Ocon revealed that it was at this pivotal moment in his career when Toto Wolff played a crucial role in saving his career. Since Ocon's F3 team was backed by Mercedes engines, he was introduced to Wolff and remained in close contact with the F1 team principal.

In a recent conversation on the High-Performance podcast, the Alpine F1 driver narrated the events following his European F3 campaign:

"It's things that were out of our control, let's say. And that's the moment where I was actually about to go work with my dad as a mechanic. The program I was in, which was called Lotus F1 Team Junior and Gravity Sport Management, had no money for me to continue. In this transition from 2014 to 2015, I was on the phone constantly calling Toto [Wolff], asking him if there were any solutions for me."

Ocon believes he saved his career by being honest with Toto Wolff while pleading for an opportunity. He added:

"I'm 17 years old and I'm constantly calling one of the biggest faces in F1. I remember being honest, 'If you don't have a solution for me, that's it, I'm gonna be stopping racing. You are my only chance...'"

Esteban Ocon added that Wolff had assured him of a solution for the 2015 season. The Mercedes boss kept his word and brokered a deal with ART Grand Prix, letting Ocon compete in the GP3 series.

The French driver would eventually win the title, and make his F1 debut with Manor Racing in 2016.

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Esteban Ocon recollects being "pi**ed off" after Max Verstappen's F1 promotion

While Ocon's future remained in doubt, Max Verstappen had impressed Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, in his 2014 European F3 season, to secure a seat at Toro Rosso for the following year.

Esteban Ocon recalled that his 17-year-old self was pi**ed off with how the situation played out for both of them, as he believes it was unfair.

"I was very pi**ed off in those times. That was very, very difficult because to me, it was not fair." Ocon said on the aforementioned podcast (21:00). "Not saying that I would go to F1 because I always believed that my time would come. But in those moments, I wasn't sure that I was going to even continue racing. And for me, that wasn't fair."

Max Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing in 2016, and Esteban Ocon eventually made it to the F1 grid later that season.