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Ocon should not have stayed out of F1 next year: Perez

Published 01/17/2019, 8:58 AM EST

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via Imago

Force India driver, Sergio Perez, felt that former teammate, Esteban Ocon, should have fought harder to get a drive in 2019 because a year out may ‘hurt him more than it benefits him.’

“Definitely. It definitely can hurt him more than it can benefit him,” Perez told Autosport about Ocon. “Formula 1 is evolving so much year by year. You never know what the future will hold.”

Ocon looked set for a Renault drive next year before Daniel Ricciardo announced his shock move to the team. He was already without a seat in Force India after it was confirmed that Lawrence Stroll had led a consortium to buy the team, which automatically meant a seat for his son, Lance.

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via Imago

He suffered another blow when Williams could not put together a financial package attractive enough for Mercedes. Those same links also prevented him from moving to Toro Rosso and McLaren, as both teams were against the idea of a temporary move.

It seems cruel that Ocon could not secure a seat despite all these teams wanting him and Perez was of the same opinion. “He is in a great position with Mercedes. He definitely deserves a seat in Formula 1, he is one of the best drivers in this sport,” said the Mexican.

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“But I think a year out of this can change so much. Maybe he comes back and drives for Mercedes, but you never know what the future will hold.”

via Imago

Perez and Ocon drove alongside each other for two years but the period was marred with a lot of high-profile on-track clashes, most notably in Belgium 2017, after which Force India banned them from racing each other.

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The relationship soured during 2018 when the Frenchman was dumped out of the Singapore GP by Perez. The latter appeared to suggest that Ocon still hadn’t matured enough.  “I rate quite highly all my team-mates,” said Perez. “They are all different.

“But the one that I rate the most is Hulkenberg and I think Esteban is there, he is in that group. I think he is lacking some maturity still, but I think that will come with the time.”

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Written by:

Rahul Venkat

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