Vasseur: Why wouldn't we have two team leaders?

With Nico Hulkenberg signed by Renault for the next two years, maybe three, the team is now looking to fill the second seat and team chief Frederic Vasseur does not see the harm in having two number one drivers in the team.

It is well known that the French outfit are courting Williams driver Valtteri Bottas to partner Hulkenberg, the Finn has yet to announce his plans for next season.

Vasseur told L'Equipe, “Why wouldn't we have two team leaders as drivers? At Mercedes, there it works perfectly."

“I don’t like the idea of having a number one driver and another one left in the shadow. Performance comes from emulation."

“Just look at Mercedes: the duel [between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg] has pushed the team forward. The idea would be to have two equally talented drivers.”

A Bottas-Hulkenberg fits the criteria, and Vasseur admits, “I know Valtteri very well. I rate him very much and keep a close eye on what he is doing.”

“He is obviously among the drivers we have an interest in. But I think he is under contract with Williams. And when a driver is contracted to a team that does not want to let him go, it becomes very complicated indeed.”

Should the Bottas deal falter, the team are then expected to focus on filling the seat with a French driver, the likes of Esteban Ocon, Jean Eric Vergne, Pierre Gasly and even Romain Grosjean in the frame.

Vasseur acknowledged, “[Ocon] is on our short-list. It’s not a secret. We give ourselves a few races to monitor every candidate for our second seat before making the decision."

“Each race brings more valuable information. Ocon’s performance in Suzuka last weekend was very rewarding for him compared to his team-mate. He had an excellent Japanese Grand Prix.”

Jolyon Palmer is unlikely to be retained by the team while Kevin Magnussen remains an option, although the team's option on extending the deal ran out last week.