Esteban Ocon's big day is fast approaching, the young Frenchman set for his grand prix debut at the daunting Spa-Francorchamps where he will line-up on the grid for Manor, and he feels ready for the challenge
Asked if he expected his first Formula 1 race to come so soon, Ocoan replied, "No, not at all. But thanks to all the tests and my preparation this year, I feel ready for it. It’s helped me a lot."
"But I never thought that I would be offered this opportunity quite so soon. At the same time, I’m very happy about it and I’m looking forward immensely to my first Formula 1 race weekend in Belgium."
Ocon, replaces Rio Haryanto in the Manor team, and will share a garage with highly rated Pascal Wehrlein in the team - both drivers backed by Mercedes and both DTM drivers for the German marque.
Wehrlein was very successful in DTM, winning the title in 2015, while Ocon has yet to make his mark in the German tin-top series but did win the mega-competitive Complete Formula 3 Euro Series in 2014. Wehrlein is 21, Ocon 19. It will be an interesting contest between the two...
Despite the promotion to the pinnacle of the sport, Ocon admits he has unfinished business in DTM, "I’m a bit sad that I cannot complete the DTM adventure. I’ve kept raising my level of performance in the course of the season and gained a lot of experience."
"My pace has been steadily improving. So from that perspective, it’s a pity that I’m unable to finish the season with the team. But it’s not possible to compete simultaneously in both championships. Consequently, I had to decide, and the decision went in favour of Formula 1."
"Since the announcement was made, of course, I’ve also been training hard," revealed Ocon. "The training isn’t all that different from in the DTM. I’m preparing as thoroughly as possible so that I’ll be ready for my first F1 race weekend."
"Before going to Spa, I will meet up with my new team again and we’ll go through all the details together," added Ocon who will car number 31 on the grid at Spa.
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