Combining F1 and DTM will be hard - Ocon

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Esteban Ocon admits it is going to be "a great challenge" to combine F1 with a season racing in DTM this year.

The Frenchman has been named as Pascal Wehrlein's replacement in Mercedes' DTM line-up after Wehrlein was promoted to a race seat with Manor. However, Ocon has already been confirmed as Renault's reserve driver following the team's return as an F1 constructor, and he is expecting a testing season trying to juggle both categories.

"This is a full year and a great challenge, I'll have a lot to learn," Ocon is quoted as saying by Speedweek. "It is not easy to combine DTM with F1. That's going to be hard. But I'm here to tackle exactly that.

"As a young driver, it is always the goal to get into F1, and that's certainly my goal for the future. But at the moment I am very happy to be in the DTM. It is a fantastic opportunity for me and I want to drive a lot in the series."

Renault Sport Racing managing director Cyril Abiteboul has previously said it is likely Ocon will take part in a number of Friday practice sessions for the team this season.

Jolyon Palmer and Kevin Magnussen were confirmed as Renault's race drivers at the start of February, with Pastor Maldonado leaving the team.

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