Racing under tension at Force India in Belgium

« We let them run until now and if they can't do it in a way that's good for the team, they won't be free to do it anymore. » Omar Szafnauer, Force India operations director, quoted by Sky Sports F1, summarizes in this sentence the state of mind which surrounds Vijay Mallya's team at the end of this Belgian Grand Prix.

Two times, Esteban Ocon and Sergio Pérez were in contact during the race, a scenario already seen this year in Baku. From the first lap, the two VJM10s collided on the descent of Eau Rouge, Pérez being sandwiched between Nico Hulkenberg (Renault) and his French teammate, stuck between the wall and the car of the Mexican.

At the 30th lap, the two drivers were involved in another collision at the same place, with a more serious outcome this time. Broken front wing for Ocon, and right rear puncture for Pérez, and a good overall result soared for Force India, Ocon however saving 9th place under the checkered flag.

“There are many things to explain, admits the Frenchman at the microphone of Canal +. I always remain calm, I am still there for him even if in the car I was not. What he did is unacceptable. At 300 km/h, this can be very dangerous. I could have flown away. He's going to have to calm down, otherwise things will go badly for him.

I couldn't do anything, I had to stay at his level. We could have stopped there. This is what happened to him the second time. I hope the team does something to fix this. We try to be in front of each other. We will have to discuss the fact that he stopped before me. We lose points for the team. I limit the damage but it is not ideal. »

Sergio Pérez admitted his responsibility for the first collision, but wanted to clear himself for the second. “I feel sorry for the team. I am guilty of the first incident. I didn't select the right engine mode and I didn't have the right power. In the straight, I went to the right and I saw Esteban and there was contact.

Then, I was in front, there was no room for him. After Eau Rouge, there was the DRS. We are two professionals and we need to talk. Our relationship has been strained since Baku. »

Discover the report and analysis of the Belgian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in Spa, in issue 2129 of AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.