Renault racing director Frédéric Vasseur has confirmed that Kevin Magnussen and reserve driver Esteban Ocon will be piloting the R.S.16 on the first in-season test of the season held after the Spanish Grand Prix.
The pair will be given the opportunity to sample the French constructor’s B-spec power unit ahead of the upgrade’s planned debut in Canada next month.
Vasseur adds that Ocon will replace Jolyon Palmer in the opening free practice session at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Last time out in Russia, it was Magnussen who sat out FP1 while new recruit Sergey Sirotkin drove on home soil.
Teams have four days of in-season testing scheduled in 2016, with the second two-day group session taking place after the British Grand Prix on July 12/13. Under the current regulations, teams must field young drivers who have not started more than two grands prix in at least two of the allocated four days.
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