Ocon and Pérez explain themselves after the clash in Baku

Force India drivers were at the forefront of the Azerbaijan GP until Esteban Ocon does not attempt a maneuver on his teammate Sergio Pérez. The Frenchman crushed the VJM10 of the Mexican who was unable to avoid contact.

If Esteban Ocon took advantage of the red flag to limit his delay following his puncture and take 6th place, Sergio Pérez fell back to the depths of the classification after having a damaged suspension, finally forcing him to retire in the last laps.

“I was close to the wall and I had no room, explains Sergio Pérez. I couldn't brake or turn and he pushed me against the wall. He didn't give me enough space even though he was already in front. It ruined the race for both of us. He lacks experience and his way of driving penalizes the team which lost a lot of points today because of him. Our main adversary (Williams, with Lance stroll 3rd) thus finds himself on the podium. »

Esteban Ocon, who was held back by his teammate at the Canadian GP who had refused to follow team instructions, is not as convinced as the Mexican of his responsibility.

"You don't have all the information, explained Esteban Ocon on Canal+. We will review the images and we will discuss them. He had already kicked me between turns 1 and 2 but that's the race. Crashing is one of the things that can happen. We will make sure this never happens again. »

Esteban Ocon returned to 9 points behind Sergio Pérez who occupies 7th place in the Championship. Force India maintains 4th position in the Constructors' Championship with 42 points ahead of Williams GP.

Discover the analysis of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2120 of AUTOhebdo, available from Monday evening in digital version on all platforms, and from Wednesday on newsstands.