Esteban Ocon is Force India’s number one target for the seat left vacant by the departure of Nico Hulkenberg.
If the Frenchman is signed, it could be the key move that allows the rest of the pieces of the F1 driver market puzzle to fall into place in the coming days. Seats also remain open at Renault, Haas, Sauber and Manor as drivers and their managers wait to see how things shake out.
Although he has a long-term contract with Mercedes, Ocon is currently under an option to Renault for 2017, which is believed to expire at the end of next week. However, it’s understood that an agreement has been reached to the effect that if he receives a firm offer from Force India before then, Renault will release him. At the same time should Renault decide to give him a race seat in the coming days – before any formal Force India offer – then he will be committed to the Enstone team.
Sources suggest that Force India is the most likely outcome, with Renault having accepted that developing a driver who is a protégé of Mercedes and could be called back is not a logical move, even if his French nationality has obvious appeal. In contrast placing him with a customer team makes sense for Mercedes.
As previously reported, Force India also thinks highly of Jolyon Palmer – who tested for the team in Abu Dhabi in 2014 – and the Briton remains the most likely alternative to Ocon. However, Marcus Ericsson, Esteban Gutierrez and Felipe Nasr have also indicated an interest in the seat.
Nasr has some heavyweight support as Bernie Ecclestone has personally lobbied Force India to take him on, as he is keen to have a Brazilian driver on the grid next year, and in a competitive car. Brazil’s TV Globo – spoiled by the fact that the country has had at least one driver on the grid since 1970 – has also been pushing for Nasr.
The final decision lies with Vijay Mallya, who is expected to receive a full briefing on the available candidates at the team’s Silverstone base next week. All those in the frame potentially come with a commercial package – in Ocon’s case obviously related to his Mercedes connections – but team sources have insisted that ability is the primary factor.
Once the Force India seat is filled it’s likely that a domino effect will result as drivers scramble to fill the remaining vacancies.
