Ocon: Great feeling to be back in F1 action

Esteban Ocon enjoyed a “very exciting first day” testing for Renault in Abu Dhabi as he began life with the team ahead of his full-time race drive in 2020.

Ocon officially joined Renault on Monday ahead of his first outing for the team in its 2019 car in the post-Abu Dhabi Grand Prix test at the Yas Marina Circuit.

The Frenchman completed 77 laps in the Renault R.S.19, finishing the day P8 overall as he bedded in with his new team ahead of the 2020 season, when he will replace Nico Hulkenberg as Daniel Ricciardo's teammate

The test marked Ocon’s first outing in a collective F1 session since his most recent grand prix appearance at the 2018 season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Since then, he has completed just one Pirelli tyre test with Mercedes as part of his reserve role with the team, making his return in Abu Dhabi an important milestone for Ocon.

“It was a very exciting first day with Renault F1 Team. I started to see how the R.S.19 behaves and I was getting closer and closer to the limit as the laps progressed,” Ocon said.

“It was a great feeling being back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car. The team gave me a warm welcome.

“The first impressions felt good – it was also nice to experience the 2020 tyres - but there are always things to improve.

“We have a solid base to continue tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it.”

Ocon will continue to drive for Renault on the second and final day of the post-season test in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.