OCON TO PARTNER PEREZ AT FORCE INDIA IN 2017
A number of drivers have been linked to the seat after Hulkenberg announced his departure from the team, including Ocon’s Manor fellow Mercedes Junior Pascal Wehrlein. The seat was the only empty seat in the top five teams, with Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Williams already locking in their 2017 line up.
Ocon, who entered Formula One this season with Manor Racing ahead of the Italian GP, has already tested with the team, working as a test driver for Force India last season. The twenty year old is yet to score a point in Formula One.
“I’m still relatively new to Formula One, but spending half a season at Manor Racing has given me some valuable experience, and I feel ready for this new opportunity with Sahara Force India,” said Ocon.
“It’s something I’ve been working towards my whole life and I intend to grab this opportunity with both hands so that I can deliver the results the team expects from me.”
Team Principal Vijay Mallya explained how the team have been following Ocon for a number of years.
“We’ve had our eye on Esteban for a number of years, and have followed his progress through the junior categories where he delivered outstanding results,” he said. “We ran him in the car last year during testing and his performance convinced us that he is more than capable of racing alongside Sergio.”
It was expected Force India, who will continue to run Mercedes power units next season, would choose a Mercedes Junior driver to fill their line up, but the decision of Ocon over Wehrlein has to be a blow to the Brit, who is still without a seat. Ocon’s “promotion” could be a sign of how Mercedes rate their junior drivers, which means we could see Ocon replace Wehrlein as the most likely to jump into a Mercedes seat when either Mercedes driver leaves.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff described the decision as a “positive development for Formula One.”
“Esteban has the most impressive track record in junior formulae and he is an exceptional personality outside of the car,” Wolff said. “Force India have a strong record of working with young drivers and have again shown courage and vision to take Esteban under their wing. Even more, it is a positive development for Formula One that talent wins over money and we will be seeing some of the most impressive youngsters fighting to make it to the top in Formula One over the coming years.”
The confirmation means silly season is nearly over. Sauber and Manor have still not announced their line ups, though it is widely expected Sauber will continue with Marcus Ericsson and Felipe Nasr, whilst Haas still has a single driver to announce. It is expected Kevin Magnussen will take the seat, but nothing is confirmed.
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Article Written By: Bethonie Waring
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