Ocon would be 'very happy' to have Alonso as Renault teammate

Renault's Esteban Ocon says he would welcome Fernando Alonso to the French outfit with open arms next year.

Ocon returns to F1 this season after a year on the sidelines, having secured a two-year contract with Renault.

But Daniel Ricciardo's move to McLaren for 2021 means that there's a seat up for grabs at Renault, and one that could be of interest to Alonso according to the Spaniard's manager Flavio Briatore.

The flamboyant Italian started promoting his protégé's ambitions in May, insisting the two-time world champion, who conquered both is world titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, was now "detoxed" and ready to return to Grand Prix racing.

Ocon: 'Everything is going against me for me to restart'

Whether Alonso would be interested in racing in the midfield in 2021 - which many doubt - remains to be seen. But should that be the case, Ocon would be happy to work alongside the 38-year-old.

"My personal choice has no relation to what the team is going to do," Ocon said. "But I have a great relationship with Fernando.

"The helmet I have, and the only swap I did in between the drivers, was with him and he was the one with Michael [Schumacher], his fights back in the day, that gave me the love for the sport.

"So I don’t know if he’s going to join or not, but definitely if he could come back, I would be very happy."

Last month, Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul gave credence to the hypothesis of Alonso returning to Renault, labeling the Spaniard as "an option".

More recently however, Abiteboul said that Renault had a few "fantastic" juniors waiting in the wings, such as F2 chargers Guanyu Zhou and Christian Lundgaard.

But Sebastian Vettel could also possibly be a person of interest for Renault.

Queried in Austria on whether he would favour teaming up with Alonso or Vettel, Ricciardo cited the former as it would be a new experience for the Aussie who spent a season at Red Bull alongside Vettel in 2014.

"I would only say Alonso just because it's something I'm yet to experience," Ricciardo said.

"Teammates are great benchmarks and also great additions to your skill set. You can always learn something.

"I don't believe there's any driver in this sport that's been perfect yet. There's always an improvement to make.

"For that I would say Fernando. In that as well, I only had 12 months with Seb. That went pretty quickly, so I wouldn't be opposed to that again."

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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.