With an opportunity possibly up for grabs at Mercedes in 2019, Force India's Esteban Ocon is to perform beyond expectations in order to have his foot in the German team's door by year end.
This season will see a number of drivers under pressure to deliver the goods, but the common denominator linking everyone together is a coveted seat at Mercedes.
Valtteri Bottas is determined to retain his coveted drive, but Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo and pink panthers Ocon and Sergio Perez will be lurking in the wings, eyeing the precious drive.
The young French driver was massively impressive is his first full season of Grand prix racing last year, coupling his remarkable consistency with an equally noteworthy level of performance.
A Mercedes protégé, Ocon logically has a Silver Arrows in mind for 2019, but a move to the Brackley squad will likely require a few outstanding achievements in addition to reaching the targets set by his employers.
"I think it is one of the most important years of my career," Ocon told Autosport.
"After learning a lot last year everybody is waiting for me to confirm this year, which is quite normal. It’s what my bosses are looking at."
The 21-year-old won't obsess over his future however, but simply put his head down in Melbourne, do his very best and lift it up when Abu Dhabi comes around in November.
"My career’s managed by Mercedes so my bosses set me some targets for this year and I have to respect them," he adds.
"I feel like if I do a strong job here there will always be plenty of opportunities, but at the moment I’m fully focused on Force India and that’s the important thing."
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