Combative Ocon: Performances, “my only calling card”

This is good for morale! Esteban Ocon (Racing Point Force India) won several battles during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix on Saturday in Austin (Texas). The Frenchman first beat his teammate Sergio Pérez by more than four tenths, a significant gap over a single lap.

The 3 GP2015 Series champion delighted his managers by also becoming the “best of the others” ; you know, it's this unknown world of Mercedes, Ferrari et Red Bull at the head, where several teams throw themselves like hungry people at the crumbs! In this case, a sixth place on the starting grid.

“A great session, really”, certifies the driver under Mercedes contract. However, the adventure could have gone wrong from the first qualifying phase. “It was super tight the whole time, with everyone (Haas, Renault, Sauber). It wasn't easy to get through Q1, so tense that I had to come out of the pits with a second set of tires, which is not our habit. »

The extra turn consequence carried over into the final session. “In Q3, I had a set of worn tires and a set of new ones. » Esteban Ocon therefore only had one cartridge!

“I almost did a perfect lap, smiled Esteban Ocon. The speed was there. All the cars are quite close, the small difference you can make with the driving gives a significant gap in positions, like the four places with my teammate (Sergio Pérez 10th). » A tour to relive below:

.@OconEsteban's lap qualifying the @MercedesAMGF1 junior driver P6 + an happy Esteban at the end #USGP #F1 #Qualifying pic.twitter.com/Z04Wi3bQBp

— Alban #EO31 (@RC_Wallen) 20th October, 2018

With four tenths separating sixth and 10th place, uncertainty reigns for the race, and the Racing Point Force India driver is not forgetting anyone. “The Renaults were fast last year here. So I'm not surprised by their appearance. The ones we haven't seen are the Toro Rosso (penalized at the back of the grid for an engine change), but I think they would have been in the mix from six to 10th place. »

Esteban Ocon, who will no longer benefit from aerodynamic developments at the end of the season, is counting on the lack of benchmarks from his rivals to convert his time into big points. “We are a bit in the unknown because there will be other track conditions during the race (dry track, while Friday testing took place in the rain).

It will be a bit blind, but that will be nice ! This will change us from the usual weekends, no one has data on long relays. In these conditions, we are generally comfortable, we will see. »

P6 and best of the rest in qualifying!! Can't be better
P6 and best of the rest in qualifying!! Great result # EO31 #USGP pic.twitter.com/0RK0QvEzxV

- Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) 21th October, 2018

Just sixth in Texas last year, the one who is still looking for a steering wheel in F1 for 2019 adopts a pragmatic discourse concerning the effect of its good test results (third at Spa at the end of August). « I hope this shakes people up a little. But I'm a little disappointed, I expected my time and my place to be seen as a surprise in the paddock, and I don't have that impression... It disappoints me a little, because we work really hard in the team.

In any case, that doesn't change the situation for next year. I will continue to push to repeat these results. It's my only calling card so I will continue to work hard to keep my place in F1. » In the meantime, the results speak for themselves: Esteban Ocon beat Sergio Pérez 14 times in qualifying on test night in Austin in 2018 (compared to 4 for the Mexican).