Esteban Ocon Joins Sahara Force India For 2017
It’s nearing the end of the season but here’s some of the latest F1 news and more confirmation for the Formula 1 2017 season driver line-up.
Talks were taking place over the past few days however it has now been officially announced that Esteban Ocon will be joining the Sahara Force India team for the Formula One 2017 season.
In a statement issued by the team – here’s what they had to say.
Sahara Force India Announce 2017 Driver Line-up
Sahara Force India is pleased to confirm Esteban Ocon as a race driver for 2017 and beyond following the signing of a multi-year contract.
The 20-year old Frenchman will race alongside Sergio Perez to form one of the most exciting line-ups on the grid, with a blend of youth and experience.
Esteban Ocon
“I’m very excited to be joining the Sahara Force India team. I know the team quite well already because I was a test driver last year and I’m really looking forward to working with everybody at Silverstone once again.”
“I’m still relatively new to Formula One but spending half a season at Manor Racing has given me some valuable experience and I feel ready for this new opportunity at Sahara Force India.”
“The next few months will be very busy as I do all I can to prepare for the challenge ahead of me. It means lots of days at the factory, working on the simulator and building relationships with engineers and everybody in the team.”
“I’ve been working my whole like towards this and I intend to grab this opportunity with both hands so that I can deliver the results the team expect from me.”
“I want to say a huge thank you to everybody at Manor and especially to Mercedes-Benz for their support and belief in me, I can’t wait for 2017 and my first full season in Formula One.”
Vijay Mallya – Team Principal and Managing Director
“It’s a pleasure to welcome Esteban as our new driver. He’s an exceptional talent, as his status as a Mercedes Junior demonstrates, and I have no doubt that he will flourish inside our team.”
“We’ve had our eye on Esteban for a number of years and have followed his progress throughout the junior categories where he delivered outstanding results. We ran him in the car last year during testing and his performance convinced us that he is more than capable of racing alongside Sergio.”
“Sahara Force India has a tradition of investing in young and talented drivers and the arrival of Esteban in the team will bring some fresh energy and motivation to everyone.”
Toto Wolff – Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
“Esteban has the most impressive track record in junior formulae and he is an exceptional personality outside of the car.”
“Force India have a strong record of working with young drivers and have again shows courage and vision to take Esteban under their wing. Even more, it is a positive development for Formula One that talent wins over money.”
“It’s nice to see the most impressive youngsters fighting to make it to the top in Formula One over the coming years.”
The Formula 1 Girl 🙂
xxx