Force India Confirms Stroll for 2019

A surprise? No. Finally official? Yes. Force India confirmed on Friday that Lance Stroll will be Sergio Perez’s team mate next season, the Canadian youngster – who raced for Williams this year – replacing Esteban Ocon.

The move had been seen as all but a formality for some time, following the takeover of Force India earlier in the year by a consortium of investors led by Stroll’s father. According to the team, ‘Lance has pledged his commitment to the team as part of a long-term deal’.
“I’m pleased that we can finally confirm Lance’s arrival to race alongside Sergio next year,” said Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer. “It gives us an exciting line-up with the perfect blend of youth, talent, and experience.

“Lance is only 20 and already has two years of Formula 1 experience under his belt, as well as a podium finish and a front row start. We see huge potential in Lance and believe we can create an environment in which he can flourish.”

Stroll, who finished 18th in the 2018 driver standings after scoring six of Williams’ seven points, made his Force India test debut earlier this week in the post-race Abu Dhabi session.
 

“This is the beginning of an incredibly exciting journey in my Formula 1 career," he commented. "I look forward to working alongside a successful team with a great culture. It’s a new challenge and I am excited to embrace this new opportunity!”

With Toro Rosso having announced Alexander Albon earlier this week, Stroll's news means that all ten Formula 1 teams have now confirmed both their race drivers for 2019 - which, as expected, leaves Ocon off the grid in a test and reserve role for Mercedes.

"I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Esteban Ocon for his contribution to the team over the last two seasons and wish him well for the future,” added Szafnauer.

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Abu Dhabi GP - Race, Force India Quotes

A mixed finish for Force India which rather summed up their season – some good, some bad. Both cars were fighting with Verstappen at one point, albeit ultimately with less drama than Brazil. Ocon was forced to retire late on with engine issues, finishing his season stranded in the pit lane. Perez did come home to secure some decent points and ensure Force India maintained their seventh place in the constructors’ standings.

Sergio Perez, 8th
“Considering everything that has happened this weekend, I am pleased to finish inside the points. I’ve not been happy with the car and I’ve not had the pace we expected. We just never solved the balance issue and I think there could be some damage somewhere in the car. The start of the race was very important and after a strong first lap I was up inside the top ten. After that, the strategy worked as planned and my main competition was Leclerc. I was very close to him in the final few laps, but I just didn’t have the pace to overtake him. I am pleased we could protect the seventh place in the team’s championship and it was important to end the season with some points.”

Esteban Ocon, DNF
“It’s a very frustrating way to end the season. Everything was going well, we had some fantastic battles and overtakes, and the pace we had was really good. We weren’t on the best strategy because we had to start on the hypersoft tyres, but we had managed to recover well and we were looking good for a finish in the points. We did everything right as a team but sadly the car had an oil leak which forced us to retire. That’s how racing is: days like these are disappointing, but they make you stronger. I am grateful for all the support I have received from the fans, people inside the sport and of course inside the team this season.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“The main priority today was to score points and confirm seventh place in the standings, which we delivered thanks to Sergio’s run to eighth place. Starting on the ultrasoft tyre was definitely the optimal strategy and a strong opening lap was crucial to the final result. Esteban starred throughout the race with some great battles, but unfortunately his car suffered a loss of oil pressure and he had to retire. They both drove well tonight, as they have done all year, and we end the season on a positive note.”

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Abu Dhabi GP - Qualifying , Force India Quotes

Ocon had power issues in FP3 and missed much of the session, but looked back to his best in qualifying and made it all the way to Q3 in his final race for Force India. Perez tried to scrape through Q2 on the ultrasoft rubber but even once he fitted the hypersofts, the Mexican lacked pace to record a worst-ever qualifying in Yas Marina of P14.

Sergio Perez, 14th, 1:37.541
“I’m disappointed with our speed today. It’s been a poor weekend in terms of performance and there are still some issues with the car that we haven’t managed to solve. It’s hurting us over a single lap because the car is sliding too much and we’re really losing out. Hopefully it will be a different story tomorrow with a free choice of tyres for the start of the race. I’m targeting points, but it’s not going to be easy starting from P14.”

Esteban Ocon, 9th, 1:36.540
“I am pretty pleased with the overall result tonight. My Q1 lap was really good and I think we really extracted the best from the car across the session. We missed out on track time in final practice, but it was a great effort by the team to get the car ready for qualifying and make Q3. There will be a threat tomorrow from the cars outside the top 10, starting on better tyres, but hopefully we can make our strategy work starting on the hypersoft. It will be a tricky one but it will be interesting.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“We haven't had a particularly smooth lead up to qualifying and I think that showed in our overall pace this evening. Esteban had power unit and hydraulic issues in final practice, but still managed to qualify in P9 with some tidy laps, which was an excellent effort. Sergio wasn’t happy with the balance and struggled for speed in Q2, which means he will start from P14 with a free choice of tyre. It’s not going to be an easy race tomorrow with all the midfield teams pretty equal in terms of pace, but I think good points are still achievable.”

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Abu Dhabi GP - Practice , Force India Quotes

Ocon looked on top form, finishing in the top 10 in both sessions as he looked to put Brazil’s controversial incident behind him. Perez was uncharacteristically off the pace of his team mate, although he did raise a few eyebrows after nearly tangling with Verstappen in the pits after being released into his path.

Sergio Perez – FP1: 1:41.075, P13; FP2: 1:38.806, P14
“It wasn’t the easiest day for me. The car had some issues this morning and I couldn’t get comfortable with the balance. We think there could have been some damage. The afternoon was a bit better, but we had to work really hard to get on top of the balance issues I had with the car. I still think we can be in the top ten tomorrow because we normally pick up some speed between Friday and Saturday when we’ve gone through all the data. ”

Esteban Ocon - FP1: 1:40.102, P5; FP2: 1:38.402, P10
“It was a solid day and being fifth in the first session shows that we are in good shape. The car was strong this evening too. We know where we can improve and I think we can find some more performance tonight before qualifying. The midfield is really close, but I think we can target Q3. The race pace looks competitive as well and I think we can end the season on a high note.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“It was a bit of a mixed day. We had two routine sessions on Esteban’s side of the garage, where everything ran to plan, gathering set-up information and understanding the tyre compounds. We struggled a little more with the balance on Sergio’s car at first, but we were able to improve it for FP2. There is plenty of work to do ahead of qualifying. The conditions varied significantly between FP1 and FP2 here, with the track 15 degrees cooler in the evening. FP2 focused our minds on understanding the conditions for qualifying and the race, but we’ll need to offset all our data for FP3 when the track will be hot again. That’s the same for everyone and we’ll need to do our best to be ahead of a very tight midfield.”

Formula1.com 

Abu Dhabi GP - Force India Preview

Sergio Perez
“Abu Dhabi will be the closing chapter of a very unusual year for both me and the team. It was probably the most complicated season of my career, having to deal with so many things happening inside and outside the cockpit. The final race of the year is the opportunity to look back at the work we have done in the last twelve months and I am proud and grateful to everyone working back at the factory, in the garage, and in the hospitality. This team never stops fighting; we never stop working and now we are looking at a very promising future. I am really happy to be part of this family and I am already looking forward to 2019.
“I enjoy the Abu Dhabi race. You drive into the sunset and when all the lights come on it looks really cool. It’s a track that is very hard on the brakes, with a lot of emphasis on traction out of some slow corners. You need a very stable car at the rear to make the most of those braking areas. There are some unusual corner combinations that are interesting in the car and there are overtaking chances at the end of both long straights, so you often find yourself either attacking or defending, especially towards the end of the race.
“It’s a track where we have been competitive for the last few years and I would love to end the season with a strong result. I am still aiming for seventh place in the drivers’ championship. I know it is going to be hard, but on Sunday anything can happen and I want to be ready if the chance is there. The team is also aiming for sixth place in the constructors’ so we need to deliver a perfect weekend.
“After the race and next week’s test it’s finally going to be time for some holidays. I am looking forward to enjoying my family, time with my wife and my baby, and seeing my friends before work starts for next season.”

Esteban Ocon
“It’s always a bittersweet feeling when you get to the end of the season, but the main motivation is to finish on a high, especially when there is so much at stake in the championship. The last couple of races have been very disappointing, but there’s still one last chance to score a good result before the end of the year.
“Abu Dhabi is always good fun. We travel there when it’s getting cold in Europe so it feels a bit like you’re going on a holiday. It’s a wonderful paddock too – one of the best – and I always feel very relaxed there.
“I have a lot of good memories from Abu Dhabi: it’s the place where I first drove during a Formula One weekend and I was crowned GP3 champion there. The start of that race in 2015 was incredible – I knew I had to take the title right there on lap one and I did it."

Formula1.com 

Brazil GP - Race, Force India

Perez had a quiet race, coming home well adrift of the Haas boys but managing a point at least. But the Mexican is hardly the news story. Ocon was down at the back of the pack and had just been lapped by the race leader for a second time. He asked permission to unlap himself as he had fresher tyres. Force India said yes, he pulled up alongside Verstappen and... there wasn’t enough tarmac to go round. The collision lost the Dutchman the lead and landed Ocon with a ten-second stop-and-go penalty. They blamed each other, exchanged heated words post-race and certainly won’t be sharing a plane home on Friday night.... or in the future.

Sergio Perez, 10th
“I was really hoping we could get some rain this afternoon. Throughout the race I was looking at the clouds and they were getting darker, but in the end it stayed dry. I don’t think we had the race pace to score more points today. I had to fuel save quite early on and for much of the afternoon it was a pretty lonely race for me. We made our strategy work as best as we could and tenth place was as much as we could achieve. It’s a shame we couldn’t score more and capitalise on the Renaults not scoring, but hopefully we can end the season with a better result in Abu Dhabi.”

Esteban Ocon, 15th
“It’s disappointing not to score when we had good pace. I had made some good overtakes throughout the race, but it all came to nothing after the contact with Max [Verstappen]. He came out of the pits, I stayed behind him for nearly two laps but I was much faster than him and the team advised me to unlap myself. I went on the outside at turn one – the same move I made on Fernando [Alonso] and on many others before, but Max didn’t give me any space. Once I was beside him I couldn’t just disappear, so we collided. But it was my corner and I had the right to the space. I was saddened by his behaviour after the race: he was very aggressive and the guys from the FIA had to intervene. That’s not the way to handle these things.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“Rescuing one point was realistically the only result we could achieve given our difficult Saturday. Sergio completed a good race, fighting against the Renaults in the opening stages and opening a gap. It was a fairly lonely race after that, because we couldn’t close the gap on the two Haas cars in front, but given the circumstances it was a good result. Esteban had done a good job making up ground from the back of the grid and would have probably finished in P11 if it hadn’t been for the clash with Verstappen. The rules state that you’re allowed to unlap yourself and Esteban was much faster than Max at that stage. Unfortunately he wasn’t left any space in the corner and that ruined the race for both.”

Formula1.com 
 

Brazil GP - Qualifying Quotes - Force India

Force India’s pace deserted them and they failed to get either car through to Q3 in what was a disappointing qualifying. Ocon has a five-place grid penalty to take anyway and will need a strong recovery drive from towards the back, so all hopes appear to lie with Perez in P12, with the team still fighting hard to recover lost ground in the constructors’ championship. But with free tyre choice, the Mexican at least stands a good chance of sneaking into the points...

Sergio Perez, 12th, 1:08.741
“It was a challenging session and it’s disappointing to miss out on Q3 by such a small margin. It’s been a difficult weekend so far, losing out on so much track time on a circuit where half a tenth can make a big difference. The truth is we weren’t as competitive as we expected to be, but I think we can still recover to have a strong race tomorrow. We really struggled in Q1 where we had to use an extra set of tyres just to make Q2, which meant we only had used tyres when the track was getting better at the end of Q2 and we couldn’t improve. I think our real pace is better than the speed we showed today and if we have a good start we will be in a position to fight for points. The weather could still play a big part, so we’ll go out to try and make up some of the ground we lost today.”

Esteban Ocon, 13th, 1:08.770
“It wasn’t a great qualifying session. For various reasons things just didn’t come together for us. We made a set-up change between final practice and qualifying and it didn’t really bring the benefit we needed. So the car didn’t feel ideal for qualifying. Ahead of the session, I believed we had the potential to make Q3 but it didn’t work out for us. I’ve also got to take the grid penalty [five places] so I will be starting near the back and it’s going to make the race even more difficult. Perhaps some rain tomorrow would work in my favour and allow me to catch up and fight for points.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“We’ve been a little bit on the back foot all weekend with a lack of track time for Sergio and chasing the set-up with Esteban. With those challenges, Q3 was just out of reach today, especially on such a short lap where a few rows of the grid are covered by a few tenths of a second. Let’s see what happens in the race. I think we can be more competitive than today with the potential to score points.”

Formula1.Com 

 

Brazil GP - Practice notes, Force India

Latifi had a solid if unspectacular FP1, before giving Perez his seat back just in time for Force India to find some technical issues with the Mexican’s car. Once solved he got underway and with reduced running did well to push his team mate. Ocon was consistent, finishing 10th in both sessions and it looks like both drivers should be aiming for Q3 tomorrow.

Sergio Perez - FP2: 1:10.320, P11
“It was not the best day because I lost quite a lot of running at the start of second practice. There was a hydraulic issue with the steering assistance and we had to make some changes during the session. So I’ve only done 23 laps today which isn’t ideal on such a technical track. Also, because it’s a short lap, every tenth of a second is even more important. We made the best of the session after making the changes, but I still feel we need to make some good steps overnight to be ready for qualifying.”

Nicholas Latifi - FP1: 1:11.493, P20
“It was a bit difficult in the car today, definitely harder than I hoped. We struggled to find the right balance with the car and as a result it was not where I needed it to be to maximise the performance of the tyres. It is similar to how I felt in Sochi, earlier in the year. I wish I had been quicker today but I am still satisfied with my work. In the end, when you jump in the car you don’t want to make any silly mistakes and you focus on helping the team prepare the car for the race drivers, which is what I did today, so from this perspective it was a positive day.”

Esteban Ocon - FP1: 1:10.361, P10; FP2: 1:10.159, P10
“I am pleased with today. Both sessions were straightforward for me – no issues on my side of the garage and we did a lot of laps. It’s not an easy circuit to get everything right and there is still some work to do before qualifying. It’s those small details we need to work on to make me feel more comfortable. The target is definitely to reach Q3 tomorrow. In terms of the weather, I don’t mind if it’s wet or dry.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“Esteban had straightforward sessions in both FP1 and FP2, gathering all the tyre data and set-up information we needed. Nicholas did a good job, completing all the test items we had planned for him, although he wasn’t happy with the balance during his runs. With Sergio, we lost some track time early in the afternoon with a precautionary change of power steering. However, after that, Sergio got on the pace quickly and if we can have a solid morning session tomorrow he will hopefully be in good shape for qualifying.”

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Brazil Preview quotes, Force India

Sergio Perez
“Racing in Brazil is always special because it’s the home of my hero, Ayrton Senna. The circuit is filled with history and on race day the fans show so much support. There’s a special atmosphere in the city during race week and we are lucky to visit some amazing restaurants too – I love the food there.
“Interlagos is a really fun track: a proper Formula One classic. It’s a short lap with a good flow but you need to be precise in every corner, otherwise your rhythm is compromised. There are many interesting corners but a really important one is the final left hander before the uphill run to the finish line. You need to carry good speed through it and onto the straight in order to attack the first corner going into the next lap.
“The circuit is a real drivers’ track: it’s fun to drive, but it’s pretty bumpy. It reminds me a bit of a karting circuit in some ways. You need a car that is stable at the rear, with not much understeer, so that you can make the most of all the changes of direction in the middle sector. The weather can also be interesting: it can be very warm and humid and it rains often, and I enjoy this unpredictability.
“We had a couple of difficult races in Austin and Mexico, where we didn’t maximise our potential. We’ve missed out on good points, especially in Mexico. I’m still aiming to finish as “best of the rest” in the drivers’ championship and I need a strong weekend to make up the points we have missed recently.”

Esteban Ocon
“I really enjoy racing in Brazil and it’s just a fun weekend. The atmosphere on the grid is special: the fans love Formula One and you can feel the legacy of Ayrton Senna everywhere. There is so much passion from the people, from the moment we land to the moment we leave – we get so much support.
“The track itself is one of my favourites because you have all type of corners. You need a good car in the high-speed sections – a car you can trust – but at the same time you need a car that doesn’t slide around in the low-speed corners. This is very important, especially not to compromise the final part of the lap.
“I have good memories of racing at Interlagos. In 2016 I was in the points in a Manor for most of the race and only got passed on the last lap. It was a tough race because of the wet conditions. There is usually a risk of rain during the weekend and if we get some this year it would probably make things a bit more interesting.
“I felt really disappointed after the Mexico race. When you have a quick car and your race if effectively over on lap one it’s so frustrating. I've learned from the experience in Mexico and will work hard to get back in the points this weekend. We need it for the championship because it’s still a close fight with McLaren – and it’s the same in the drivers’ championship. We will keep fighting until the end.”

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Force India can be 'massive surprise' in 2019' - Perez

Having made his debut in 2011, Sergio Perez is now part of the old guard in Formula 1, with the sixth most Grand Prix starts of any driver on the current grid. And over the last five seasons, he’s become a major player at Force India – but could his standing at the team change when Lance Stroll arrives next year? The Mexican doesn’t think so…

Force India went into administration at the end of July, with Lawrence Stroll – father of Williams driver Lance - stepping in as the leader of a consortium of investors to rescue the squad, and they began their new era at the Belgian Grand Prix in August.

Ever since that takeover was completed, it was widely expected that Stroll would join the Silverstone squad – and now with Perez recently signing a new contract with the team, the Canadian youngster seems nailed on to take Esteban Ocon’s seat for 2019.

And Perez isn’t concerned about the son of the team’s new owner joining him next year – perhaps the opposite in fact, with the Mexican optimistic that they can both contribute and help the team ‘be a massive surprise next year’.

When asked if Lance Stroll joining Force India will affect the team dynamic, Perez replied: “I don’t think it will change. At the end of the day, the interests of all the team, even the team buyer, the team owner is that the team is very successful.

“So, for that you need both cars to be at 100 per cent and for the team to develop as quickly as possible. So, for that you really need full performance.

“I think if that happens, he’s coming in to a great team with great people, engineers, where he’s going to grow a lot. I see great things for the team.

“We have all the guidance, we just need the budget and I think we can be a massive surprise next year.”

Perez’s future at Force India has been a much talked about topic in the paddock in recent months, but his new contract was agreed earlier this month – and Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer has revealed what the driver brings to the team.

“Well, we chose to re-sign him because he’s a fantastic driver. He’s great on Sunday, qualifies well, great feedback and he’s been with the team for quite some time,” said Szafnauer.

“I think it’s appropriate to discuss all this here at his home race and he’s got a big impact on the team and it’s good to have continuity as well, from one year to the next.

“The regulations are changing quite significantly next year and a fellow like Sergio with all of his experience will help us in driving the development forward next year.”

Before Perez turns his attention to next year, though, there’s still two races of this season remaining. And he’s still in with a chance of securing ‘best of rest’ for a third successive season: he currently trails Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg in P7 by 12 points.

Formula1.com 
 

Ocon – Mexican Grand Prix was my worst F1 race ever

When Esteban Ocon prepared to get off the line in Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix, the target was clear for the Force India driver: secure a points finish. But within a matter of corners, his race was compromised after a collision with Nico Hulkenberg. He later clashed with Brendon Hartley, ultimately coming home in P11 – and afterwards he labelled the race ‘the worst of his Formula 1 career so far’…

Force India rolled the dice in qualifying and opted against fighting for a Q3 appearance, with Ocon securing 11th on the grid, giving him free choice of tyres for the race. With the four cars in front of him – both Saubers and Renaults - on hypersofts, the Frenchman had every chance of delivering a result for his team.

He enjoyed a fantastic start too, passing both Saubers on the run down to Turn 1. But then he collided with Renault's Hulkenberg, breaking his front wing. He was forced to pit, dropping him to the back of the pack, and a later collision with Toro Rosso’s Hartley added to his frustrations.

“This has been probably the worst race of my whole Formula 1 career so far,” said Ocon following what proved to be a tough afternoon in Mexico City.

“Nothing went our way and it’s just been a terrible afternoon. I made a very good start, managed to pass the two Saubers on the run down to turn one, but that’s pretty much the only positive to take from today.

“I went alongside Nico [Hulkenberg] in Turn 3 but I saw he was going to turn in. I braked to avoid a collision, but we still made contact and it broke my front wing. I had to pit at the end of the first lap and my race was effectively over.

“It’s a shame because we had a good strategy and a fast car, but today was not our day. Let’s just forget about this race and come back stronger in Brazil.”

It was a tough day for team mate Sergio Perez too, with the Mexican driver suffering a heartbreaking retirement in front of his home fans – and Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer was unhappy to see his Silverstone squad fail to make the top ten.

“A hugely disappointing afternoon for the team and definitely a missed opportunity to score important points,” said Szafnauer. “The strategy we had prepared for yesterday was playing into our hands with Sergio until a brake seal failure forced us to retire the car on lap 38.

“Up until that moment, Sergio was comfortably running in the points and looked set for sixth or seventh place. On the other side of the garage, Esteban had a scruffy race with contact on lap one destroying any chance of points.

“Hulkenberg closed the door in Turn 3 and that damaged the front wing. It was a real shame because Esteban only needed to stay out of trouble on lap one and the strategy would have seen him finish well inside the points.”

Formula1.com 
 

Mexican GP - Race, Force India Quotes

A race to forget. Perez made a long opening stint work to his advantage and looked on for a decent points haul before retiring with a long brake pedal. Ocon, meanwhile, got into a mess at the start, losing half his front wing in the process. He then tangled with Hartley, suffering further bodywork damage. He limped home outside the points after saying “nothing is going well in this race.”

Sergio Perez, DNF
“It’s a big shame to retire from my home Grand Prix – especially when things were looking really good in the race. I think we had at least seventh place in our pocket and the great strategy that we started planning yesterday [in qualifying] was really paying off. Sometimes in racing you have these big disappointments when there is an issue with the car. Today it was the brakes that forced me to retire because suddenly the pedal went long and we had to park the car. Until then it had been a really exciting race for me – I had a great first lap, getting ahead of Fernando [Alonso], and then some good battles with the Saubers later in the race. I was controlling my race, looking after the tyres, and I thought we would pick up some good points. I feel sorry for the team and for the fans who have been incredible this week. They always make me feel very proud and today they gave me amazing support.”

Esteban Ocon, 11th
“This has been probably the worst race of my whole Formula One career so far. Nothing went our way and it’s just been a terrible afternoon. I made a very good start, managed to pass the two Saubers on the run down to turn one, but that’s pretty much the only positive to take from today. I went alongside Carlos [Sainz] in turn three but I saw he was going to turn in. I braked to avoid a collision, but we still made contact and it broke my front wing. I had to pit at the end of the first lap and my race was effectively over. It’s a shame because we had a good strategy and a fast car, but today was not our day. Let’s just forget about this race and come back stronger in Brazil.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“A hugely disappointing afternoon for the team and definitely a missed opportunity to score important points. The strategy we had prepared for yesterday was playing into our hands with Sergio until a brake seal failure forced us to retire the car on lap 38. Up until that moment, Sergio was comfortably running in the points and looked set for sixth or seventh place. On the other side of the garage, Esteban had a scruffy race with contact on lap one destroying any chance of points. Sainz closed the door in turn three and that damaged the front wing. It was a real shame because Esteban only needed to stay out of trouble on lap one and the strategy would have seen him finish well inside the points.”

Formula1.com
 

Mexical GP - Qualifying quotes, Force India

Force India played the tactics game on Saturday – using the supersoft and ultrasoft rubber in Q2 instead of the faster hypersofts. That sent them tumbling out, but crucially means free tyre choice for the race. Do the Pink Panthers believe they have the pace to pick off the Sauber and Renault boys ahead who must start on the hypersoft rubber? That is what they have gambled on...

Sergio Perez, 13th, 1:17.167
“We had the pace to go into Q3 with the hypersoft tyres, but we didn’t think it was worth the risk to start on those tyres. We knew it would be hard to make it into the top ten on the ultrasofts, but starting on a harder compound should give us an advantage tomorrow – we basically chose a better strategy over grid position. My only regret is that Fernando [Alonso] is ahead of me: I lacked a bit of grip in the final part of my Q2 lap and he was able to be ahead of me on hypersofts. I am confident about our chances tomorrow. We believe our strategy is the correct one and we can move forward in the race.”

Esteban Ocon, 11th, 1:16.844
“P11 is an interesting place to start the race. We went into qualifying knowing that we really didn’t want to start the race on the hypersoft tyres and that’s why we ran on the harder compound [the ultrasoft] during Q2. Being P11 means I can choose my tyres for the start of the race and we have more flexibility with our strategy. So I hope our approach to qualifying will pay us back tomorrow. We could have been higher up the grid if we had used the hypersofts, but I am happy with the way we approached the session. It’s going to be a big fight tomorrow against the Renaults and the Saubers, but they will be starting on hypersofts and they should run a different strategy compared to us. Let’s see how things play out tomorrow.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“We chose to play the long game in today’s qualifying session being well aware that it’s the final result tomorrow that counts. We’ve seen very high degradation on the hypersoft tyres during practice and we were keen to avoid starting the race on them. So we ran the harder compounds, knowing that it would be more difficult to make Q3, but also aware that it should help us in the race. As we didn’t progress to Q3, both cars will start the race with a free choice of tyres. When the strategies play out tomorrow, we hope to move into the top ten and score good points.”

Formula1.com

Mexican GP - Practice Quotes, Force India

Latifi didn’t stick to the script – in for Ocon in FP1, he went quicker than his illustrious team mate. In the afternoon it was normal service resumed, with Perez shading Ocon by one place and three tenths in front of his adoring fans. Force India look on the cusp of the top 10 – two cars into Q3 will be the aim for Saturday.


Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:19.124, P11; FP2: 1:18.167, P10
“Friday was a day of learning and we’ve come away with good information. This morning we were a bit surprised to see how the tyres were performing and they will have a big influence on the race result. If you understand them, you will find a big advantage. Qualifying well is important here, but I think even more important is to have strong race pace and that is where we are focussing our energy tonight.”

Nicholas Latifi - FP1: 1:19.078, P10
“It was a good session for me. I was happy to be back in the car after missing out last week in Austin [due to the adverse weather]. It was a pretty straightforward session, testing set-ups and helping the team learn about the tyres. The conditions were quite tricky today and I experienced the lowest grip and the most sliding I’ve ever had in a Formula One car. The altitude reduces the downforce and you really feel it, but it was quite fun. Each time I drive the car I want to make a step forward in performance and I think today was one of my better FP1 performances.”

Esteban Ocon - FP2: 1:18.485, P11
“I did my best to get up to speed quickly, but we didn’t have many laps on the hypersoft tyres. The long runs went to plan and we learned about the tyres, but I think everybody discovered that managing them on Sunday is going to be a big challenge. It’s the same for everybody and it should be entertaining for the fans.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“As always here in Mexico, we had very low grip at the start of the day, with a dirty track and the drivers getting used to the reduced downforce the car generates at this altitude. Nicholas did an excellent job this morning, helping us complete our test programme. We ran some test items on the car and he gave us good feedback. The tyres are proving to be a challenge with a lot of graining, but we expect that to improve as the weekend progresses. There is still plenty of work to do with the car, but overall it was not a bad first day of action.”

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Szafnauer eyeing up ‘virtual fourth’ for Force India

Having only been eligible to score points since Belgium this year, Racing Point Force India - to give them their full title - will be going after McLaren’s sixth place in the constructors’ standings in the last three races of 2018. But Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer has his sights set on a virtual target for his reborn team as well…


Force India entered administration during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend and underwent a change of ownership in the summer, with a Lawrence Stroll-led consortium buying the assets. From Spa onwards, the team was deemed a new entry and so had to start from zero constructors’ championship points, but a series of strong races from both Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez has already put the team within 11 points of sixth-placed McLaren following the United States Grand Prix. A great performance, for sure – but one that leaves a slightly bitter taste in the mouth of the Force India team boss.

“I think the probability of us finishing ahead of McLaren is more than 50 per cent,” said Szafnauer after the race at the Circuit of The Americas. “I’d say that’s the limit.
“It’s always frustrating to know that 59 points were taken away, but it is what it is. We move forward and start focusing on what we have for the remaining races and seeing how many points we can score. Hopefully we’ll have three strong races, which I think we can do, and score a plethora of points and finish sixth.

“My other hope is that, with those plethora of points, the virtual finish will be fourth. That would just feel nice anyway.”

As it stands, Force India’s current total combined with the 59 points scored before Belgium adds up to 106, the exact same amount as Renault in fourth place. Renault’s total was boosted by Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz finishing sixth and seventh respectively in the US, but Szafnauer was also unhappy about a five-second time penalty given to Sainz for running wide at Turn 1 when overtaking the two Force Indias.

“What was that about?! That penalty is too lenient in a track-position race when it’s hard to overtake … If he knows he’s getting that penalty, he just pushes his tyres more and your race is different.

“Once you know how much he has gained, then you can work out what an appropriate penalty would be. For us, had he not overtaken us at the start in a track position race he would never have overtaken us. So now, even if you are two-tenths or three-tenths quicker, you never gain those two-tenths or three-tenths if you are behind that car.

“So then if you extrapolate that out over pitting on lap 20, times three-tenths or whatever the difference is, it might be a way [of working out a penalty].”

Renault’s race pace also caught Szafnauer’s eye, with Hulkenberg 12 seconds ahead of Ocon at the chequered flag, before Force India's Frenchman was excluded for a fuel flow infringement.

“Their long-run pace looked [strong] when they were pushing. They were a bit quicker. We’ll have to analyse it and figure it out, because over a lap we’re faster than them, and usually our strength is in race trim. But the significant difference here was we never got any long running, so we couldn’t adjust via data capture.”

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Mexican GP - Force India Preview

Sergio Perez
“Racing in Mexico is the highlight of the season for me. The excitement each time we go back there is the same. When I see the busy grandstands, I feel very proud and the support from the people is fantastic. The energy of the crowd really motivates me and the drivers’ parade is always a very emotional moment.
“It’s an extremely busy weekend for everybody: me, my team, the sponsors, but it’s still the best week of the entire season. To have my family and friends around me helps make this race even more special. I really want to give everybody a strong result to celebrate on Sunday.
“The circuit is a big challenge. Because of the altitude, the track is slippery with low grip levels and it’s very easy to make a mistake or lose time. The long straight is usually your best chance for overtaking, but with these cars it’s never easy to pass.”

Esteban Ocon
“The Mexico weekend is good fun. It’s a busy race for the team, of course, and we have quite a few events with partners during the week, so we get to see a bit of the city as well. It’s Checo’s home race so the whole team is busy from the moment we land!
“The atmosphere when you get to the track is special. Mexicans love sport and the passion they show for Formula One is incredible. The best part is to drive in the stadium section when the grandstands are full. I think all the drivers enjoy the buzz and emotions you get from such a massive crowd.
“It’s a good track to drive, but it’s a tough one. You’re at very high altitude and this really affects the set-up – it’s difficult to find a good balance. The cars are set up with high-downforce, but it feels like low downforce. You lack grip and the car feels very slippery, especially at the start of the weekend, but you soon get used to it.”

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Ocon and Magnussen lose points after US Grand Prix disqualifications

Force India thought they’d scored a double points finish. Haas thought they’d achieved their best ever result on home soil. But both teams will leave Austin disappointed after each having a car disqualified over fuel use irregularities.

Esteban Ocon finished Sunday’s race in the United States in eighth position, one place ahead of Haas’s Kevin Magnussen. But shortly after the race, the stewards announced both drivers were being investigated for possible breaches of the regulations, with the duo ultimately being hit with the biggest possible penalties.

In Ocon’s case, the stewards, having studied telemetry data, found that his car had exceeded the fuel mass flow limit of 100kg/hr on the opening lap of the race. Magnussen, meanwhile, was found to have used more than the maximum 105kg of fuel allowed during the race.

The decisions mean that Haas have now had a car disqualified from two of the last five races, having lost Romain Grosjean’s sixth-place finish in Italy to a technical discrepancy. The team appealed that decision with the hearing set for November 1 – and the American team may well choose to appeal the stewards' decision in Austin, as may Force India.

For both teams the decisions are a blow to their hopes of overhauling rivals in the constructors’ standings. Even before the disqualification, Haas lost significant ground to Renault in the fight for fourth place, with the Anglo-French team picking up 14 points with sixth and seventh in Austin.

Force India, meanwhile, ironically only lose one point in their chase of McLaren for P6 in the standings, with Sergio Perez – who finished 10th – promoted to eighth in his team mate’s stead.

Haas are now 22 points behind Renault, Force India 11 points behind McLaren – but both their losses are Toro Rosso and Sauber’s gain. Brendon Hartley originally finished in P11, but is promoted to ninth, with Marcus Ericsson going to tenth, giving the duo their third and fifth points finishes of the season respectively.

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Texas GP - Race quotes , Force India

Force India had both cars solidly in the points until the first round of pit stops. A slow stop for Perez dropped him down the field, from where he did well to recover. The Mexican lost a place to a fresher shod Magnussen late on but kept hold of P10 to help Force India score what appeared to be their third double points finish in a row. Unfortunately, Ocon was later disqualified by the stewards for a fuel mass flow irregularity.

Sergio Perez, 8th
“I made a good start, managed to stay out of trouble and benefited from the chaos around me. We tried to extend the first stint but perhaps we stopped a bit too late. Our pit-stop wasn’t the best and I ended up in a lot of traffic, which caused me to lose out to Magnussen. I was able to overtake him in Turn 1 as he was leaving the pits, but he passed me on the back straight. I followed him for the rest of the race and although I got close, I ran out of laps to make a move. I don’t think we would have been able to challenge the Renaults today, but I’m disappointed we lost out to Magnussen.”

Esteban Ocon, DSQ (Originally finished 8th)
“It was a tough race this afternoon after a difficult first lap. I lost a few positions at the start because the cars behind me took some big risks. I decided to let them go because the risks were too big in my opinion. After that it was difficult to fight back because the cars we were racing [the Renaults] had already gotten ahead. After the pit stop, I had Kevin [Magnussen] behind me for the rest of the race. He was quick and it wasn’t easy keeping him behind. I’m pleased we still picked up some decent points, but we definitely need to review our weekend and see where we can improve for the races to come.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“Getting both cars home inside the points is an important result, but we certainly hoped to come away with a few more points today. We lost out against the Renaults on lap one and never managed to recover the lost ground. The strategy options were pretty limited with most drivers only stopping once and we had to settle for P8 and P10.”

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Ocon delighted after edging Hulkenberg for P6 in Austin

“When I crossed the line I felt like ‘wow there's not a lot left in there’.” That was Esteban Ocon’s assessment of his Austin qualifying heroics, and understandably so, after the Force India star finished just 0.070s ahead of Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg to finish ‘best of the rest' on Saturday.

Force India have enjoyed a positive run since changing ownership ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, securing 43 points after their tally was reset, and that form could well continue this weekend, with Ocon pushing his VJM11 challenger to its limits in qualifying.
Ocon certainly has a great chance to deliver a result, given the only cars in front of him are the Mercedes, the Ferraris and the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo. And it was a morale-boosting personal achievement for the Frenchman, who could miss out on an F1 seat next season.

“I am really happy with our performance today. It’s awesome to be sixth on the grid – the best of the rest – but it was a really close session all the way through.

“In Q3, my lap was very strong and the car was working really well. Tomorrow the aim is to stay where we are and bring home the points. The race pace is a bit unknown because of the wet weather yesterday but I think we can be just as competitive tomorrow.

“It was definitely a good feeling, that last lap, the car was working really well and when I crossed the line I felt ‘wow there's not a lot left in there’. It was enough for P6 so today we are really happy.

“The only thing I can do is do my talking on track, that is what I try to do. My motivation is as high as it can be and I'm pushing hard.”

It was Renault’s Hulkenberg who was the unfortunate driver to miss out on P6, though the German is confident his team can take the fight to their midfield rivals in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

“I was happy with the laps I produced, and I think we got the most from the car,” said Hulkenberg. “Even in race pace, usually we look better than in qualifying.

“In qualifying it has been a bit tricky. The recent few qualifying sessions for me have not be so great so pleased to be back in the top ten for once.

“We want (a good result). I think it is possible, it’s not going to be easy. We have a lot of good cars around us. But I don’t think we need to hide.

"In Suzuka, which is a more difficult track for us, Carlos (Sainz) managed to get one point – that was very encouraging. I think, if anything, here should be better for us.”

Ocon and Hulkenberg will each have an eye on the race for P7 in the drivers’ championship, with the pair both in with a chance of finishing best of the rest. Hulkenberg is tied on 53 points with Force India’s Sergio Perez and Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, three ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso and four ahead of Ocon in 11th.

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Texas GP - Qualifying quotes - Force India

Force India got both cars through to the top 10 shootout and Ocon impressed in winding up ‘best of the rest’ in P6. The Frenchman could do with a strong race result to send another poignant reminder of his talents to the rest of the pit lane. Perez, meanwhile, struggled in Q3 and wound up tenth.

Sergio Perez, 10th, 1:34.594
“Qualifying tenth is a disappointing result because we had the potential to achieve much more. My first attempt in Q1 was pretty good, but when I returned to the garage we inexplicably discovered a lot of damage to the right hand side of my car, on the floor and bargeboards. We tried to fix it in the time we had, but we couldn’t repair it completely. From that moment on my car behaved differently and it hurt the balance. I struggled quite a bit in Q2 and Q3. The car definitely had potential, as Esteban demonstrated, so it’s a shame not to get more from today. Our aim tomorrow is to make up some ground. We have a car that can do it so let’s see what opportunities come our way.”

Esteban Ocon, 6th, 1:34.145
“I am really happy with our performance today. It’s awesome to be sixth on the grid – the best of the rest – but it was a really close session all the way through. In Q3, my lap was very strong and the car was working really well. Tomorrow the aim is to stay where we are and bring home the points. The race pace is a bit unknown because of the wet weather yesterday but I think we can be just as competitive tomorrow.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“Our performance in qualifying confirmed that we are the fourth quickest team once again this weekend. Esteban delivered a clean and tidy lap in Q3 to end the day in sixth place. Checo picked up damage during the first run of Q1 which impacted the aero balance for the rest of the session. This hurt our overall qualifying result because he should have been up there with Esteban in Q3. Anyway, both cars in the top ten is still a good day and we are well placed to score good points tomorrow.”

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Texas GP - Practice , Force India Quotes

Force India sprung a surprise in a wet qualifying back in Belgium – and they might fancy their chances of doing likewise here if this rain sticks around. But they do need to show more pace than they managed today, with neither driver breaking into the top 10 in either session.

Sergio Perez – FP1: 1:51.459, P14; FP2: 1:54.963, P13
“We did a few runs today so that we can be prepared if conditions remain wet tomorrow. We didn’t appear to have the best pace on the intermediate tyres, but hopefully we can improve that overnight. It was very tricky out there, but also quite good fun at the same time. Wet weather always opens up opportunities and we will try our best to make the most of them tomorrow.”

Esteban Ocon - FP1: 1:51.655, P17; FP2: 1:55.348, P14
“It was a bit of a late call to be in the car today, but given the wet conditions, the team decided it was better for Nicholas to maximise his seat time in Abu Dhabi. We weren’t able to do a lot of laps today, but we went out to feel the conditions and to see if we could learn something. We decided to use only one set of tyres today [the intermediates] and we used them all the way through: that’s not ideal but we chose to save the other sets for qualifying. Other teams took a gamble and used more, so let’s see if this can bring us an advantage tomorrow. I don’t mind whether it’s dry or wet in qualifying. We can be competitive whatever the conditions, so let’s see what tomorrow has in store.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal & CEO
“As forecast, we had two wet sessions today so there wasn’t a lot of running. In the end, it was the same for everyone and we had to make the most of the conditions. We did quite a handful of laps in both sessions, trying to understand mainly the intermediate tyre. We elected to save our full allocation of wet tyres because there is still a high chance of rain tomorrow. We took the best from our inters in FP1, making our life a bit harder in FP2, but we still have a bit of work to do to ensure we get the most from those tyres tomorrow. Overall, the conditions meant we didn’t run much today, so we will need to be ready for whatever weather we get during qualifying.”

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