Breaking news

Formula 1

Force India could trouble Red Bull with right balance - Ocon

Esteban Ocon believes that Force India can target giant-killing performances with its ever-improving car, after some encouraging form at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

Jonathan Noble

Edited: Oct 4, 2017, 12:21 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Esteban Ocon, Force India

With the team finally getting on top of its new high-downforce package – which includes the 'Stegosaurus fin' - both Ocon and Sergio Perez mounted a strong challenge at Sepang as they racked up more championship points.

With that strong form having left Ocon just six tenths off Red Bull in qualifying, the Frenchman believes the team has the potential to edge even closer over the remainder of the campaign.

"Our car is still not perfect, not perfectt like we want it to be, but there is a big, big thing possible with the car we have at the moment," Ocon told Motorsport.com. "Really big things!

"I think if we manage to get it right we can be close to the one in front [Red Bull] even…. I think we can get closer to them if we get all the balance working properly."

Different world

Force India staked its claim to fourth place in the constructors' championship with a host of good race showings at the start of the year, even though it was not happy with the performance of its car.

But progress made since the start of the European phase of the season has transformed the performance of the car, and Ocon said that the difference in feel between now and how it was at the start of the campaign was as though it is racing in a different championship.

"For sure it feels like a different category," he said. "We have had loads of updates on it, and we keep having, which is very important because the others are doing too.

"And now, because we are going on faster tracks where the downforce is needed, it is just very good to drive here with so much downforce. It is great."

Asked if he sensed the team was building momentum now for a much stronger 2018, Ocon said: "Yes it's been [coming] a long time that this is happening. For sure we didn't have the fastest midfield car in the beginning but it doesn't matter because we are always there at the end when it counts.

"And now, I think we start to have the performance. So, hopefully we can keep continuing that and keep having strong results like that and it makes the race easier as well."

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Tech analysis: The Mercedes updates Hamilton turned down

Next article Vandoorne column: Sepang my best race, but Suzuka will be amazing

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

How Istanbul is revamping its F1 circuit to clinch long-term future

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Turkish GP

23 min

How Istanbul is revamping its F1 circuit to clinch long-term future

The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup 16 h

The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season

‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1 17 h

‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes

BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC

WEC

WEC WEC

Monza

19 h

BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC

Feature

Discover prime content

How seizing every chance – and making it happen – keeps Pierre Gasly’s fire burning

Formula 1

By Jake Boxall-Legge

How seizing every chance – and making it happen – keeps Pierre Gasly’s fire burning

Tough love and F1 titles – A key life lesson behind Wolff's Mercedes success

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Ronald Vording

Tough love and F1 titles – A key life lesson behind Wolff's Mercedes success

How Brazil showcased everything that's good about F1 - plus some that isn't

Formula 1

Sao Paulo GP

By Filip Cleeren

How Brazil showcased everything that's good about F1 - plus some that isn't

Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s

Formula 1

By Kevin Turner

Top 10 F1 cars of the 1970s

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts