Frenchman, Esteban Ocon, would join the Renault side officially on the 2nd of December.
This is coming after much speculation as to the exact time he would be joining, especially since the company made the announcement in August. But the Renault officials have come out to clarify things and have named Ocon as Daniel Ricciardo’s 2020 teammates. He is to replace Nico Hulkenberg.
The mercurial French driver will then participate in the postseason 2020 Pirelli tyre test at Yas Marina, and will drive for Renault on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ocon, who is currently with Mercedes, has not taken part in a Formula 1 race since 2018 and has been a reserve driver. In the meantime, he has been occupied with simulator work.
He joins Renault just after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and would take part in the Abu Dhabi test on the 3-4 of December, which is supposed to be the last F1 track running for the year. The test would include familiarising himself with his new teammates and getting used to the new cars. It would also include checking out the new tyres produced by Pirelli for the new season. Already there has been a series of complaints about the tires, and they may not likely be used next season.
Ocon joining the new team may likely give his career the much-needed boost. He began his career in 2016 with Manor Racing at the Belgian Grand Prix. In as much as he does not have titles yet, he holds the record for the most consecutive finishes from start of career with a total of 27.
The 23-year-old Ocon was formally a reserve driver with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.
Written by: Leon Osamor
