Following his highly impressive performances this year, Esteban Ocon's future is destined to shine bright says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

The Force India driver and Mercedes protégé is in his first complete season of F1, having jumped on the Grand Prix bandwagon with Manor last year at Spa.

So far, Ocon has scored points in all but one race in 2017, often running hot on the heels of experienced and rapid team mate Sergio Perez.

Wolff is convinced the 20-year-old Frenchman is on his road to stardom.

"Force India could have done many more points," Wolff said after the race in Canada.

"He did a great race. Really fantastic for his first season. He's developing just in the right way, he's going to be a superstar of the future."

Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer is equally delighted with his driver's progress and consistency to date, and especially with his outstanding faculty of adaptation.

"It's one of the reasons we chose him," said Szafnauer.

" It's hard to predict the future but we're happy he's done what we thought he could do.

"We've got two drivers that can work together and now they're close together which means they'll be pushing each other.

"We had that with Nico [Hulkenberg] and Sergio and we were a little unsure with Esteban, we thought, but he's quickly gotten up to speed now and that will just push both of them forward."

 

Want to win a trackday experience? All you have to do is subscribe to our FREE newsletter HERE

Gallery: All the pictures from Montreal

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Not a one-off: Hill sees multiple world titles for Norris

Damon Hill knows a thing or two about what it takes to climb Formula 1’s…

44 mins ago

Domenicali calls for calm and a plan as Ferrari eyes 2026 reset

Formula 1’s most polished powerbroker has seen this movie before – and Stefano Domenicali is…

2 hours ago

Verstappen puts Bathurst 1000 Supercar event on bucket list

Max Verstappen’s racing curiosity has never been confined to Formula 1 – and now, one…

3 hours ago

Vowles warns 2026 weight limit will catch F1 teams out

When F1’s radically redesigned 2026 cars finally roll out in Barcelona at the end of…

18 hours ago

Why Verstappen isn’t expecting much running at F1’s first test

Max Verstappen has never been one to sugar-coat reality – and as Formula 1 braces…

19 hours ago

Revolut’s CMO slams Ferrari: ‘How can you put blue on a red car?’

Ferrari have survived decades of criticism about strategy calls, driver politics and pit stops that…

21 hours ago