Esteban Ocon said it was a “fantastic feeling” to be back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time ahead of his return to racing next year.

He completed his first day of testing for Renault at Yas Marina . He previously drove for the team earlier in his career before joining Mercedes as a junior driver.

“I was so excited for today,” said Ocon, who last raced in F1 with Force India in 2018. “I’ve been waiting for that day for months and finally it happened.

“I have a good first impression. The team gave me a very warm welcome, which is always very satisfying, seeing some old faces, some new faces as well, which is great.

“Now we properly started to work on all the little details. Towards the afternoon I started to get closer and closer to the limit. So it feels nice.”

Ocon said his first impression of the team’s RS19 chassis was positive. “It feels good. Obviously there’s always a lot that you can improve.

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“But the engine is also something new for me since couple of years. Good power. Then, of course, the balance, you need to always work on it. It’s never perfect [but] I think we have a solid base that we can continue tomorrow.”

As one of F1’s taller drivers, Ocon found he fits better in the cockpit of the Renault than he did at Mercedes. “My seat position is a bit better than that car because there’s more space,” he said. “Obviously Nico [Hulkenberg] and Daniel [Ricciardo] are taller than Valtteri [Bottas] and Lewis [Hamilton].”

He said he needs to concentrate on getting used to working with his new team on the second day of the test tomorrow.

“Just getting to know everyone and getting to work with new people, it’s very different,” he said. “I think this is what’s going to take the most time, for all of us to understand each other perfectly.

“There’s always a lot to say in the first day. So that’s the most complicated one and the one you need to get your focus the most on.”

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2019 F1 season