Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez collide twice at Spa-Francorchamps

Paradoxical situation at Sahara Force India: the team is having its best season from a sporting perspective with a comfortable lead over Williams in fifth place. But the tension is at its peak between its two drivers, with numerous altercations since the start of the season.

It really started in Canada when the Mexican refused to let his teammate pass, who was in a better strategic position to challenge Daniel Ricciardo. But things truly escalated in Baku when the two drivers collided while the podium, or even the win, was within reach.

A new incident occurred in Budapest with a slight contact at the start, which damaged the Frenchman’s car. But a new stage was reached during the Belgian Grand Prix. Once again at the start, the two men touched wheel to wheel as they arrived three abreast at the Raidillon d’Eau Rouge, with Nico Hülkenberg’s Renault.

For this incident, Sergio Perez acknowledges that he was the one who made a mistake by veering to the right, where his teammate was: “I got a good start but then realized I only had 50% power because the engine modes were not set correctly. I went to the right without checking my mirrors and collided with Esteban. For that, it was 100% my fault and I truly apologize.”

But the team leaders were not yet at the end of their troubles in the relationship between their two drivers, as another incident was about to happen later in the race. Indeed, the Frenchman found himself behind his teammate when the latter anticipated his second stop to serve the five-second penalty incurred for not letting Romain Grosjean pass again after going wide at the Les Combes chicane. This stop allowed the Mexican to switch to fresh softs and thus make up for the lost time.

When he observed his own pit stop two laps later, Esteban Ocon quickly caught up with his teammate and looked for an opportunity to pass. He positioned himself alongside his teammate before Eau Rouge, but his teammate moved over. The consequence was catastrophic for both, as car number 11 suffered a tire puncture in the Raidillon, while the front wing of car 31 was damaged.

Another @ForceIndiaF1 flashpoint…

Whose side are you on?#BelgianGP 🇧🇪 #F1 pic.twitter.com/g3k9lXC9zN

— Formula 1 (@F1) 27 août 2017

If it seems clear that Sergio Perez veers to the right again to block his teammate, he simply believes that his opponent was too optimistic and that there was no room to pass: « There was no room for two cars. He had the entire next straight to overtake me. »

Obviously, Esteban Ocon did not agree at all and did not hide his cold anger when he came to meet the press at the end of the race: « There are a lot of things to explain. I always stay very calm. For once, I was not calm in the car. What he is doing is unacceptable. It’s dangerous. At over 300 km/h, it is very dangerous for both of us. I could have taken off on the first lap and the second. He will need to calm down because otherwise it might go badly for him. »

The least we can say is that the debriefing between the two drivers and the engineers is likely to be heated given the strong words from the Frenchman: « It was stupid. He is supposed to be a professional driver. He didn’t show that today. I risk my life, his life, and we lose a lot of points for the team. It’s petty. » He concluded his statement bluntly: « I will go talk to him man to man, and he better not move because otherwise it might not end well. »

Following the next episode, which may arrive as soon as next weekend at Monza… But the rules between the drivers are expected to have evolved by then since the team leaders have announced that they will now impose team orders to avoid any clashes. But whether they will be respected…

From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps