Jacques Villeneuve has said Esteban Ocon’s ties to Mercedes have prevented him from staying on the Formula 1 grid.

Ocon has been replaced by Lance Stroll after his father, Lawrence Stroll, took control of the team currently known as Racing Point.

Ocon, meanwhile, saw other potential opportunities with the likes of McLaren and Renault slip away, which left Mercedes boss Toto Wolff seething over “broken promises”.

The Silver Arrows, meanwhile, were not prepared to end their relationship with Valtteri Bottas, so Ocon has had to settle for a reserve driver role with a view to returning to the grid in 2020.