Though excited to be making his F1 race debut, Esteban Ocon admits he is sad at being unable to complete his DTM "adventure".

Asked to choose between continuing in DTM or making their F1 debut, most drivers would choose the latter.

In the case of French youngster Esteban Ocon one would presume the choice might be that little bit easier. On the one hand he is joining back of the grid perennials Manor, while on the other it has to be admitted that his season thus far in DTM has not exactly set the world alight.

"I'm a bit sad that I cannot complete the DTM adventure," he admits. "I've kept raising my level of performance in the course of the season and gained a lot of experience. My pace has been steadily improving. So from that perspective, it's a pity that I'm unable to finish the season with the team.

"But it's not possible to compete simultaneously in both championships. Consequently, I had to decide, and the decision went in favour of Formula 1," he adds.

"Thanks to all the tests and my preparation this year, I feel ready for it," continues the French youngster who has contested a number of Friday morning sessions at races with Renault in addition to both days of the recent Silverstone test with Mercedes. "It's helped me a lot. But I never thought that I would be offered this opportunity quite so soon. At the same time, I'm very happy about it and I'm looking forward immensely to my first race weekend in Belgium."

Asked how his preparations for F1 differ to those for DTM, he admits: "Since the announcement was made I've been training hard. The training isn't all that different from in the DTM. I'm preparing as thoroughly as possible so that I'll be ready for my first F1 race weekend. Before going to Spa, I will meet up with my new team again and we'll go through all the details together."