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Ocon not living with regrets despite frustrating time

As disappointed as he is with the prospect of seeing his F1 career grind to a sudden halt, Esteban Ocon has no regrets about the decisions that were made in the last few months.

The high-profile talent is likely to be left off the grid when Melbourne comes around next March, the victim of circumstances and Formula 1's scarcity of seats.

Forced out of Force India for 2019, in all likelihood, by the arrival of Lance Stroll, the son of the man that put together the investment group that acquired the pink outfit, Ocon feels thwarted, aware that his plight has nothing to do with his merits.

"I am disappointed that other factors are taking precedence over results," Ocon told France's Auto Hebdo.

"I'm disappointed that two months ago we had two strong options and we have nothing today."

Indeed, an agreement in principle had apparently been struck with Renault over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, while McLaren had also put itself on the ranks to possibly hire the 22-year-old.

Ultimately, neither opportunity came to pass, for reasons Mercedes boss Toto Wolff linked to "politics, hidden agendas and lies".

Ocon insists he has no regrets however about how he managed the hand he was dealt.

"If I did it again, I wouldn't change any of the decisions made," he added.

"I've gone through it 100 times in my head and I always come to the conclusion that based on the information we had, we made the right decision.

"It was impossible to see how things would turn against me as they did," Ocon said.

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Michael Delaney

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