Esteban Ocon set to get Renault Formula 1 reserve role for 2016
Esteban Ocon is set to be named as Renault's reserve driver for the 2016 Formula 1 season, Autosport can reveal
Towards the end of November last year Mercedes decided to take up its option on GP3 champion Ocon's contract and made him a fully-fledged member of its F1 team.
But following talks with Mercedes, the 19-year-old Frenchman is to move into the reserve role at Renault behind Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer, according to sources.
Providing negotiations have been concluded between both teams, Ocon will join Palmer and Magnussen at Renault's official launch at the French manufacturer's Technocentre in Guyancourt on Wednesday.
Frederic Vasseur - who was Ocon's boss at the ART GP3 team - is to be officially announced as Renault racing director at the same event.
Ocon joins Renault with pedigree as he captured the European Formula 3 title in 2014, and followed up with victory in last year's GP3 championship.
Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff suggested last year Ocon's role for this season was open, with a variety of options on the table.
With a Renault reserve place now seemingly secured, it remains to be seen whether Ocon will combine that with a drive in another series.
Ocon could follow Mercedes reserve Pascal Wehrlein's lead from last year as the latter combined his own back-up role with the F1 team with a title-winning drive in the DTM.
GP2 is another possibility for Ocon, although with a number of that series' sessions so close to those in F1 on GP weekends, that may be ruled out.
Last year Ocon said the DTM would be his preference if given the chance.
Previous article
Analysis: 'Special' Enstone gets its reward with Renault F1 era
Next article
Haas Formula 1 team set to fire up its 2016 car on February 15
The floundering fortunes of F1’s many Lotus reboots
Team Lotus ceased to exist in 1994 - and yet various parties have been trying to resurrect the hallowed name, in increasingly unrecognisable forms, ever since. DAMIEN SMITH brings GP Racing’s history of the legendary team to an end with a look at those who sought to keep the flame alive in Formula 1
Why the 2021 title fight is far from F1's worst, despite its toxic background
OPINION: Formula 1 reconvenes for the Russian Grand Prix two weeks after the latest blow in ‘Max Verstappen vs Lewis Hamilton’. While the Silverstone and Monza incidents were controversial, they thankfully lacked one element that so far separates the 2021 title fight from the worst examples of ugly championship battles
How F1’s other champion to emerge from 1991 thrived at Lotus
Mika Hakkinen became Michael Schumacher’s biggest rival in Formula 1 in the late-90s and early 2000s, having also made his F1 debut in 1991. But as MARK GALLAGHER recalls, while Schumacher wowed the world with a car that was eminently capable, Hakkinen was fighting to make his mark with a famous team in terminal decline
The forgotten F1 comeback that began Jordan’s odyssey
Before Michael Schumacher – or anyone else – had driven the 191 (or 911 as it was initially called), Eddie Jordan turned to a fellow Irishman to test his new Formula 1 car. JOHN WATSON, a grand prix winner for Penske and McLaren, recalls his role in the birth of a legend…
The squandered potential of a 70s F1 underdog
A podium finisher in its first outing but then never again, the BRM P201 was a classic case of an opportunity squandered by disorganisation and complacency, says STUART CODLING
The other notable Monza escape that F1 should learn from
OPINION: The headlines were dominated by the Italian Grand Prix crash between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, who had the halo to thank for avoiding potentially serious injury. But two days earlier, Formula 1 had a lucky escape with a Monza pitlane incident that could also have had grave consequences
How Monza only added more questions to F1's sprint race conundrum
With two sprint races under its belt, Formula 1 must now consider its options for them going forward. While they've helped deliver exciting racing on Sundays, the sprints themselves have been somewhat lacking - creating yet another conundrum for F1 to solve...
Who should Alfa Romeo sign for 2022's F1 season?
OPINION: With Valtteri Bottas already signed up for 2022, all eyes are on the race for the second seat at Alfa Romeo next year. Antonio Giovinazzi is the current incumbent, but faces a tough competition from appealing short and long-term prospects
