No worries at Force India despite discreet tests

Despite their bright pink color, the two Force Indias proved to be very discreet during the first two free practice sessions of the season. In the heart of Albert Park in Melbourne (Australia), Sergio Pérez et Esteban Ocon placed themselves in the second curtain, at a respectable distance from the leading teams.

For the Frenchman, despite an excursion into the gravel trap in the second session (15th in 1’25”888), there were many positive lessons. “We had quite a few aerodynamic parts to test on the car, but everything worked. We see an improvement in performance compared to winter testing but there are obviously still some adjustments to be made. »

A few first day blushes for @OconEsteban during FP2 #AusGP # F1isBack pic.twitter.com/GayiPt6on6

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 23, 2018

As for his Mexican teammate, he highlights one of the main sporting changes announced by the teams. “I announced during the Barcelona (Spain) tests that the teams would close the gaps between them and looking at the times, this is certainly what is happening. » Sergio Pérez announces that the qualifying session will be crucial. « We will have to be impeccable on Saturday, because the slightest mistake could take us to the back of the grid. »

Is the Force India's pace as worrying as the figures suggest? Let's remember that in 2017, neither driver recorded a time less than a second behind the leader (already Lewis Hamilton) during Friday practice. This did not prevent Sergio Pérez from finishing 7th and Esteban Ocon from scoring his first points on Sunday (10th).