Esteban Ocon: “The VJM10 should be more comfortable in Shanghai”

For his first race as a starter for Force India, Esteban Ocon had achieved his goal of getting into the points, by placing tenth in the opening round of the 2017 season.

A performance achieved despite unfamiliarity with the Albert Park track, and a Force India VJM10 which certainly did not develop its full potential in Australia. For the first time on a more traditional circuit, the former GP3 Series and FIA champion F3 aims to offer a new harvest of points to his team, while continuing to learn the car from the Indo-British stable.

“In Melbourne I said I was on a big, pretty steep learning curve and the same will be true in China, underlines the Norman. I still need to develop my speed with the VJM10.

It's about exploring the limits of the car and understanding how to manage the tires during qualifying and the race. What we learned in Melbourne will definitely make this weekend easier, but you never stop learning in this sport. »

A more comfortable VJ10?

Learning will also go through the route for Esteban Ocon, who will start in Shanghai. With its particular sequences in the first sector, and its faster portions in its last part, with the long return straight preceded by a banking, the specificities of the Chinese circuit will constitute another challenge for the protégé of Mercedes.

“After the Melbourne street circuit, it will be nice to go to a track that is the opposite with a more open space, says Ocon. I think the car should be more suitable for Shanghai, but it's hard to know until we get there and our first spins of the wheel. The goal, once again, is to score points. »