Two consecutive retirements but Ocon will not change his approach in Monaco
Hardly disturbed by his recent troubles and two retirements, Esteban Ocon hopes to take his Force India into Q3 and score points in the Principality.
His consistency was his trademark. Arriving in Formula 1 at the beginning of autumn 2016, Esteban Ocon made a name for himself with a record performance: completing 27 consecutive Grand Prix races, spanning the 2016 (Belgian Grand Prix) and 2017 (Brazilian Grand Prix) seasons. But this year, everything changes. The young Frenchman has already seen two retirements: a collision with Kimi Räikkönen in Baku, and an oil leak affecting his engine in Spain. Fortunately, and as the driver himself admits, the engine shut down at exactly the right moment in Montmelo. “I will be able to drive in FP1 with,” he confirms, in a bid to finally put an end to the rumors.
On a general level, Esteban Ocon had never experienced two consecutive retirements in his young Formula 1 career. Quite a turnaround considering his 2017 Monaco edition was hardly satisfying: an accident in FP3, an elimination in Q1, and a modest 12th place at the finish. “The goal is already to finish a race, that would be nice!” he jokingly remarked to the French journalists present this Wednesday at the Force India hospitality area.
The former Manor driver has indeed remained positive. « I haven’t had much luck recently. But my performance level is still good. I’m not going to change my approach! I could have finished in the points in Baku and Barcelona. » A statement confirmed by the performances of Sergio Pérez, his teammate, 3rd in Azerbaijan and 9th in Spain.
The Mercedes protégé arrives in the Principality with a simple goal, within his reach:
«We will try to have a clean weekend and build it correctly from practice to practice. Making a Q3 and scoring good points is the goal.»
For this, Esteban Ocon does not put immense pressure on himself during qualifying. This session is crucial. But things can also happen. Pérez has already made a podium here (note: in 2016). And before that, Friday is very useful. This configuration is a bit special but it allows us to take time to understand the car’s evolution.
As “Checo” Pérez leads in the championship (17 points for the Mexican against 1 point for the Frenchman), the overall situation of the team is hardly satisfactory. Usually accustomed to the fourth place in the constructors’ championship, Force India is currently in seventh place before this weekend’s event. Esteban Ocon hopes to contribute to the team’s comeback. « The team is bringing new parts to the car. We’ve been making progress since the start of the season. I’m not sure if there will be a big performance gain here, but there is potential. »
However, there is no time to delay: the Silverstone firm is already 23 points behind Renault. Esteban Ocon’s challenge is set.
The long-term goal is indeed to reclaim the fourth place among constructors.
From our special correspondent in Monaco
