Ocon: "I wanted to test the limits"
It was a day of contrasts for the Force India team, with Esteban Ocon racing for the first time on the streets of Monaco and having to learn the layout, and Sergio Pérez firmly in the top ten.
Esteban Ocon: FP1 => 10th (1:14.425 / 38 laps); FP2 => 15th (1:14.093 / 46 laps)
It’s an unusual weekend for the French driver Esteban Ocon who has never had the opportunity in his young career to race on the streets of the Principality of Monaco.
For this first day of testing, the main goal for Ocon was to get familiar with the winding Monaco circuit. As the Évreux native admitted at the end of his day of testing, his approach was somewhat segmented: “In FP1, I didn’t encounter any problems, I made sure to stay away from the walls; in FP2 I tested the limits by hitting hard at certain spots, I was lucky that the car held up but I think it was necessary to know where to push.”
The former Manor driver plans substantial changes on his single-seater for Saturday and the crucial qualifying session in Monaco: « As I said, we will need to get everything in order, and with all the changes we’ll make by then, I think we will have a car that allows us to really push! »
For his goal this Sunday, the Frenchman maintains the aim of finishing in the points, taking into account the difficulty of overtaking in Monaco, especially with this year’s wider cars than before: « The goal will indeed be to score more points, but we’re always better in qualifying than in practice. » An achievable goal overall for the Force India driver.
Sergio Pérez: FP1 => 8th (1:14.201 / 31 laps; FP2 => 7th (1:13.799 / 44 laps)
Mexican driver Sergio Pérez had a relatively quiet Friday, pulling away from his young rookie teammate as recalled on the Rock: « It’s an encouraging result, especially since I’m not completely confident with the car; we still have a lot of work to do before qualifying, but I am confident in our ability to find more performance by Saturday. »
The former McLaren driver also admitted needing to work on tire management: « It wasn’t easy today to get the tires to operate in the right window of use, but we have time tonight and tomorrow to ensure good settings » for the rest of the weekend.
If nothing guarantees any result for this Grand Prix, Pérez’s experience on the track provides him with a significant competitive advantage over his French teammate and opponent.
From our special correspondent in Monaco
