Esteban Ocon to join Sergio Perez for Force India
What's the story
20-year old French racing driver Esteban Ocon has replaced Nico Hulkenberg to become a part of Sahara Force India. Ocon has reportedly signed a multi-year contract with the team and will race alongside Mexican driver Sergio Perez in the 2017 season. Managing Director of Force India, Vijay Mallya welcomed Ocon to the team and said that he was an exceptional driver.
About
Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon is a F1 driver from France born on 17 September 1996 . He started karting from the age of ten and won several championships. In 2014, he made his Formula 3 debut with Prema Powerteam winning the championships that year. Ocon entered junior programme of the Mercedes F1 team and was reserve driver for Renault Sport F1 team in early 2016.
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Ocon's F1 debut for Manor
In August 2016, Esteban Ocon made his F1 debut racing at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix. He raced for the second half of the season but mostly finished in the last classified positions.
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It is something I've been working towards: Ocon
Thanking everyone at Manor, Esteban Ocon said that he is happy for his full season at Force India. He also said, "It's something I've been working towards my whole life and I intend to grab this opportunity with both hands."
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Ocon's selection leaves Pascal Wehrlein unhappy
Ocon's Manor team-mate and also a part of Mercedes' junior driver programme, Pascal Wehrlein is planning to ask the Sahara Force India team why was he overlooked for selection for 2017 season. He said, "I don't know if it was the test why they decided, or something else. Of course I will ask why, or what happened, what can I improve from my side."