Cyril Abiteboul says Renault will be able to evaluate reserve driver Esteban Ocon more accurately following his promotion to Manor, as the 19-year-old remains tipped for a full time role with the French manufacturer in 2017.
Ocon was announced as Rio Haryanto’s replacement earlier this month, with the 2015 GP3 Series champion set to contest the remainder of the season alongside fellow Mercedes protégé Pascal Wehrlein.
“Esteban joining Manor Racing for the last nine races of the season demonstrates the excellent relationship Renault and Mercedes have maintained for several years,” Abiteboul said. It is an outstanding opportunity for Esteban to gather mileage and race experience in a young, stable and very professional team.
“He will be up against a highly rated and quick teammate, which will enable us to evaluate him in a representative environment. I hope this experience will be of great benefit for him and for Renault in the near future.”
There has been increased speculation about Renault’s 2017 line-up, as both Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer are on one-year deals. Team principal Frédéric Vasseur explains why no announcement will be made in that regard until at least next month.
“At the moment our focus is to keep getting the best from the car,” he said. “We have two drivers that are motivated so the second part of the year is to keep track of expectations and see where we are.
“In reality we won’t take any decision before September for sure – we have no time! But it is up to us and we will take a decision when we are ready.”
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