Renault: Mercedes will have no right on Ocon for two years

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Renault F1 Team managing director Cyril Abiteboul has made clear that there will be no Mercedes strings attached to Esteban Ocon for the duration of the Frenchman's contract with his new team.

Renault announced on Thursday a two-year deal with the Mercedes reserve driver, and while Ocon remains under the management of the German outfit, the latter will have no right call to him back to the team in the near future.

"He is a Renault driver, that is very clear. Mercedes will have absolutely no right on him for the duration of his contract," said Abiteboul, speaking to the media in Spa on Friday.

"The small difference is that his management company happen to be a racing team and that is Mercedes.

"But it is a slightly different set-up from the set-up that we had with Carlos [Sainz] last year. That was on a loan and not a contract with Red Bull, but he [Ocon] will be a fully-fledged Renault driver."

Ocon to return full-time to F1 in 2020 with Renault!

The opportunity for Renault to hire a talented French driver is seen by many - including outgoing Nico Hulkenberg - as a deciding factor in favour of Ocon.

But Renault advisor Alain Prost dismissed that notion, insisting instead that Ocon's youth weighed more heavily in the balance.

"To be clear, of course the fact that he is French is a plus, but it is not the determining criterion, otherwise it would not be very logical," he told French broadcaster Canal Plus.

"There were discussions with Nico, someone we really appreciate, but he wanted a two-year contract, we wanted one year plus an option.

"Without going into too much detail, he is someone who has done an extraordinary job for the team, but of course after three years he realizes, and he is right, that we are not progressing very quickly on the chassis.

"I think we needed someone to look a little further into the long term, with freshness, enthusiasm.

"He has that of course, but things are going to happen, we’re going to have to change the team a little bit too, so it’s more to look to the future.

"Esteban, with his Mercedes experience, age and youth, will bring us some of the dynamism we need in the team today."

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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.