Esteban Ocon set to join Daniel Ricciardo at Renault!

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Mercedes reserve driver Esteban Ocon will be relieved from his contractual obligations with the German manufacturer and will join Renault for the 2020 F1 season according to a report from Auto Bild.

Mercedes is likely days away from announcing its 2020 line-up, with team boss Toto Wolff revealing recently that the plum drive alongside Lewis Hamilton shall be offered to either Ocon or incumbent Valtteri Bottas, with no other driver in the running.

Auto Bild contends that Wolff will extend Bottas' contract with the Silver Arrows outfit and allow Ocon to resume his F1 career with Renault alongside Aussie Daniel Ricciardo.

Hamilton consulted by Mercedes on Bottas-Ocon choice

Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul would no doubt seize the opportunity to enroll a talented French driver into the team.

But that decision, should it come to pass, would obviously leave Nico Hulkenberg as the odd man out at the French outfit.

However, the German driver could find a new home at Haas, where Romain Grosjean's four-year tenure with the US outfit is expected to end.

But that scenario would pit Hulkenberg against Kevin Magnussen, with a fair amount of bad blood existing between the two drivers as a result of several past on-track run-ins.

Yet the Dane recently said that he had "nothing against Hulkenberg".

"We are opponents on the track and we are not friends," Magnussen told Auto Motor und Sport.

"Ultimately, I have great respect for Nico and I personally have nothing against him.

"As a person, I don’t know him, but I have never heard anyone talk badly about him."

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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.