Esteban Ocon: Aiming for consistency and points
Despite the changes made in Barcelona, the Force India still seems a little behind on the fast laps. But Esteban Ocon remains confident of progress throughout the weekend, and is keeping points as his objective for the race.
Consistency was the key word for Esteban Ocon on this first day on the Barcelona track. With the 12th fastest time in each practice session, the Force India driver was able to take advantage of the updates brought by his team for this first European Grand Prix of the year.
Many new parts have been installed on the French driver’s car and more work will be needed this weekend to make them function properly: « We brought a lot of different parts. We need to understand what has improved or what still needs work; that’s what we focused on the most today. Then, with the Hard and Medium tires, it was difficult to understand anything, so it will take a little more time and improvement, but everyone is improving. » states the Force India driver.
Ocon therefore points the finger at Pirelli’s choice, a bit too conservative for his taste: Pirelli was a bit too cautious with the tires. As a result, there are big differences between the Softs and the Hards and the Mediums. Drivers will therefore choose the Soft tires as much as possible.
Fast in the race, Force India encounters more difficulties over a single lap. When Motorsinside asks him if the improvements made in Barcelona will change the game and are already effective, Ocon responds: “I can’t say no, because of course, there are differences. But as I said, we will need to understand a little bit more to be able to gain a bit more time.”
A place in Q3 and points in the race remain within reach for the Frenchman this weekend. The goal remains the Top 10 in qualifying and getting closer to the big points in the race, he concludes.
From our special correspondent in Barcelona
