[NeilP]

Can Toto, manage young drivers?

Well, lets put some perspective on the situation Mercedes have two seats available to them at Mercedes!  Ferrari have at least four, possibly five (Ferrari and Sauber and maybe, maybe one at Haas).  Red Bull have four seats available to them (and incidentally none of their own drivers to put in them at Toro Rosso unless you count Kvyat so does that make the Red Bull and Christian Horner incapable of running their programs?)

I can see an argument that perhaps they should have put Ocon in the second Mercedes and dropped Bottas but who knows contractually why they did not. I have been saying ever since I got on these boards Mercedes need a junior team and this is absolutely why they do.  Williams are the obvious current target, I would love to know why they did not go after Force India.

Why should Mercedes let Ocon go, they have invested in him just like other teams have invested in their own young drivers. Why should anyone just pick him up for nothing, that is not the way it works. Ocon is clearly destined for a Mercedes works team drive in the near future.

These guys seem to think Mercedes can just walk in to Williams and tell them what to do.  Clearly that is not the case right now. The suggestion of offering to pay Ocons salary shows ignorance I guarantee you Sirotkin brought far more to the team than his wages, a whole barrow load of Roubles!!!!

Is it sad Ocon will possibly not be in F1 next year, absolutely it is but is that Mercedes fault and in particular Toto Wolff, absolutely not.

I was intrigued by the comment from the paddock last week by Joe Saward that he (Ocon) will not be in a team at least at the "start of the season" which intimates he will be later in the season.