Former Mercedes reserve driver and current Renault race driver Esteban Ocon says Mercedes didn’t reveal their new DAS system to him.
The French driver who left Mercedes to join Renault at the end of the 2019 season was asked if he was aware of the innovative Dual Axis System being developed while he was with the team.
“Guess what? I didn’t, I swear I didn’t,” said Ocon to Canal Plus.
“Either they were very, very clever and didn’t show me the impact of the system or they came up with it very late and designed it once I was gone, once I was stuck between Renault and Mercedes.
“After the end of the season, I wasn’t allowed to go back to the factory, I wasn’t allowed to come back and work on the simulator. Either it was then, or they were very clever.
“But I think they more likely came up with the system at the end of the year, when I left.”
However Ocon says the team definitely tested the system in their simulator at Brackley.
“Without any doubt, they tested it in the simulator, as all parts go there before being run on track.”