Esteban Ocon will take part in the opening free practice session for the Spanish Grand Prix, the Renault reserve driver has announced over Twitter.

The Frenchman, who dovetails his F1 commitment with a DTM campaign at Mercedes this year, already drove in FP1 at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Lotus.

For the second grand prix weekend in a row, Renault will give some valuable track time to one of its junior drivers after new recruit Sergey Sirotkin deputised for Kevin Magnussen in Sochi. The French constructor has yet to confirm who Ocon will replace at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in two weeks' time.

Rumours have recently been swirling about the 2015 GP3 Series winner taking over Jolyon Palmer’s race seat in the light of the British rookie's challenging start to his maiden F1 season.

Renault is also expected to give test driver Nicholas Latifi an FP1 opportunity at some point during the season.

REPORT: Rosberg eases to win after Kvyat takes out Vettel

AS IT HAPPENED: 2016 Russian Grand Prix

Breakfast with ... Martin Brundle

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

Julien Billiotte

Recent Posts

Stella confirms engine-related failures, but won’t blame Mercedes

McLaren endured a bitterly frustrating weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix as both of its…

43 mins ago

Kirkwood beats Palou to claim Arlington IndyCar glory

Kyle Kirkwood delivered a masterpiece on Sunday in the shadows of AT&T Stadium, proving that…

2 hours ago

‘A horror show’: Wolff links Verstappen’s attacks to Red Bull’s woes

While Max Verstappen continues to wage a verbal war against Formula 1’s 2026 regulations, Mercedes…

3 hours ago

F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix

The Pre-Race Casualty Ward The Chinese Grand Prix generated an overflow of drama before the…

4 hours ago

Bearman’s first lap Chinese GP fright: ‘I’m lucky to be standing here’

Oliver Bearman delivered a stunning recovery drive at the Chinese Grand Prix – a performance…

5 hours ago

Alonso lost feel in limbs mid-race as crisis deepens at Aston Martin

Last weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix was the scene of another crisis for Aston Martin, with…

6 hours ago