Ocon and Pérez, the calm but not yet the dolce vita in Monza

It’s not just about Hamilton and Vettel in life. In the world of Formula 1, there’s excitement around other garages too. But right now, the term excitement is rather weak: it’s more appropriate to speak of a tornado with Franco-Mexican origins.

The two contacts between Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon left a mark during the recent Belgian Grand Prix. Four days later, the two protagonists found themselves almost side by side during the traditional session in front of journalists. A good idea from Matteo Bonciani, the FIA communications director, which allowed them to put words on the issues between the two men, separated by an arbitrator dressed all in red.

Sebastian is acting as peacekeeper today 😂#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 #F1 pic.twitter.com/jXMT8YpugE

— Formula 1 (@F1) August 31, 2017

For the Frenchman, it was first of all about turning the page, albeit reluctantly: «We are fighting for tenths in qualifying and races. We cannot change what happened at Spa-Francorchamps. It’s time to forget all that. We want to continue to shine. So we must keep pushing hard. »

More surprisingly, while the responsibility for the recent incidents lies with Pérez, Ocon included himself as at fault. « We crossed the red line. We must not repeat this in the future, for our own interest or the team’s. »

Yet, it was indeed Pérez who aggressively swerved twice towards his car in the descent to Eau Rouge. The second collision was the last straw in the vase of fair play. Right after his last stop, on the 29th lap, Ocon was prevented from overtaking his teammate just ahead of him. With fresh tires, the former Manor driver, who finished ninth, was on his way to a better position, probably seventh. His teammate had just learned of his five-second post-race penalty for cutting the Combes during his overtake on Romain Grosjean. This spectacular and highly dangerous maneuver showed just how far the former Sauber driver was willing to go to defend his position, right to the limit of his sturdy machine’s durability.

Furious, the owner of number 31 was not kind to the journalists’ microphones once he got out of the car. But the night offered some perspective. By Monday, the young Frenchman had taken to social media to soften the tone of his passionate reactions.

Spa incident. pic.twitter.com/3wKf8aVfKL

— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) August 28, 2017

In any case, he will be forced to calm the situation. Following these incidents, the team took an unprecedented stance, emphasizing that there would no longer be battles of this kind between the two drivers in the future, under penalty of sanctions, even exclusion for the duration of a race. Sparing in words, Vijay Mallya himself has come out of his reserve, while not questioning the long-term future of his two protégés.

So, will Ocon continue to attack as hard without being affected? “There was a team order, I will follow it, that’s it,” he simply replied laconically in the stifling heat of the Lombardy press room. “As for the rest, the psychological aspect is part of the job. We deal with it!”

For his part, Pérez appeared very subdued in front of the media. The debrief seems to have been effective, and his responsibility is well identified. For him and especially for his own comfort, it’s time to move on. « We drove very close to each other. As you saw, there were a few incidents. The time has come to move forward. Everyone can have their own opinion on this. The most important thing is to try to score additional points. »

Like the Frenchman, the Mexican specified that a discussion took place this very morning in the room of the former, face to face. We simply stated our version of the incident. We need to move on, I repeat. A new relationship will be established between us: I am sure that this type of incident will not happen again. I want the best for the team I drive for. Working with Esteban will therefore be a fruitful partnership.

But at the same time, a small change will be noticeable on the track. « There will still be some instructions to come about our strategy. We are mature enough to handle all that. I think we will do everything to ensure the team’s interests come first. »

After the twists and turns of Montreal, Baku, Budapest, and Spa, we’ll have to wait a little while before the next episode, as Ocon himself stated. « We need to regain our boss’s trust. Perhaps then we can still fight after a few races », certainly referring to the situation in the constructors’ standings. With fourth place on the board, 96 points behind Red Bull and 58 points ahead of Williams, the fifth force, anything is still possible.

Until then, the Spa-Francorchamps incident is therefore closed, once and for all. But don’t let your guard down: the two Pink Panthers will remain very much in sight throughout all 53 laps on Sunday, both literally and figuratively…

From our special correspondent in Monza