Ocon hails ‘awesome’ P3

Title protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel may have locked out the front row in Spa, but it was Esteban Ocon who stole the show in Belgian Grand Prix qualifying. On a weekend of new beginnings for the Force India team, and with his own F1 future uncertain, the Frenchman duly delivered a superb lap to take third on the grid.

With a proposed move to Renault falling through and question marks over whether there’ll be space for him at Force India next season, Ocon said ahead of the weekend that he would focus on doing his talking on the track. And he did that in style on Saturday afternoon.

Both the Frenchman and team mate Sergio Perez had demonstrated Force India’s Q3 potential in practice, but after getting through to the top 10 shootout, they gambled on slick tyres in wet conditions and looked to have blown their chance of a high grid slot.
But after both drivers returned to the pits for intermediate rubber, Perez via a close shave with the barriers, their speed was impeccable, with Ocon setting the fastest first sector on his way to the third best time, one place ahead of his team mate.

“It’s awesome to be in P3 after such a difficult time with the team we had,” Ocon said, referencing Force India's recent spell in administration and subsequent emergence as a new entity. “But now we are starting afresh and definitely happy with that result, third wasn’t expected today.

“What I knew is definitely that when it’s damp conditions like this you have an opportunity and something to do. It’s always closer between the cars when the conditions are like that and today we maximised the potential of our car.

“Last time it rained I was also starting third [he qualified fifth but started third after grid penalties for both Red Bulls in Italy last year],” he continued.

“It’s the second time it rains and I’m starting third, so it’s a fantastic result. Great to perform like this after a difficult time for Force India.

“That’s totally behind us now and we are focusing on this weekend and the car has been strong, even in the dry this weekend, so hopefully we will get a great result tomorrow.”
It was the first time Ocon had qualified third in his F1 career, with Force India getting both cars into Q3 for the first time since Canada six races ago.

Both drivers retained their championship points amid the team’s rebirth. And it is now looking like there is a very good chance they could add to them on Sunday…

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Perez ‘lucky’ to qualify P4 after Eau Rouge scare

Force India scored a fairy-tale pole at Spa in 2009, but their performance at the Belgian track on Saturday was only marginally less magical as Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez mastered the wet conditions to lock out the second row of the grid. However, it could have been all so different, with Perez admitting he was extremely lucky to avoid a big shunt at Eau Rouge early in Q3…

With the rain coming down heavily at the start of the top ten shootout, the Mexican had headed out early with the rest of the runners on slick tyres to try to get the best conditions.

But where the rest of the field quickly retreated to the pits for intermediate tyres, Perez and team mate Ocon soldiered on – and it almost ended in disaster for the former as he suffered a massive moment at the ultra-quick Eau Rouge.

“It was very chaotic,” admitted Perez afterwards. “We went for slicks trying to get a lap in when the track was not so bad. The last sector was quite bad but I felt that if we had the same first and second sector as on my warm-up lap, I could get away with it. But then it just got worse and the lap was just a disaster.

“In a way I’m quite lucky that I’m here [in P4] because the moment into Eau Rouge, not knowing what the track is like… You’re just there trying to feel the grip, and all of a sudden you lose the car. At Eau Rouge when you lose the car, you usually crash. I didn’t.
“It doesn’t look that bad on TV – it was a lot worse in the car! So I’m pleased to be here with this great result.”

That wasn’t the end of the drama for the eight-time podium finisher however.

“Coming back it was completely wet and I ran over the kerb coming back into the pits. Actually my back is hurting a bit from that one. I just lost the rear end. That meant we went out too late, and I only got one lap. But a massive result for the team.”

Perez’s result is his best qualifying effort of the season and equals the best grid slot of his career, the 28-year-old having started P4 on four other occasions. It comes at the end of a tumultuous month for the veteran of 146 Grand Prix starts, during which he played a key role in Force India ultimately emerging from administration as a brand new entrant in the championship with new owners in place.

“I hope we can have some rain tomorrow, because it’s a massive opportunity for the team, especially now the team has zero points,” a buoyant Perez added. "Maybe tomorrow we can get plenty of them!"

“No, I think we should not get too carried away. Tomorrow it’s important to perform. I think we have tremendous pace so we should be very strong out there.”

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Belgium GP - Qualyfing quotes, Force India

Quite simply, a day to remember. After looking competitive all weekend, Force India got both cars into Q3 for the first time since Canada. As the rain intensified, they were the only team to opt for a lap on the supersofts but had to abandon that idea quite swiftly. It looked as if their chance had gone but instead they ended up perfectly placed on a drying track with both drivers delivering when it mattered to lock out the second row on the grid.
 
Sergio Perez, 4th, 2:01.894
“I am very happy about today’s result and what a tremendous qualifying it has been! So many emotions are going through my head – it has been a really difficult session, which makes the result even sweeter. It’s a great result for the team – for the new owners, the old ones who built the team to what it is now, and everyone who works so hard every day. The rain made things stressful and we had to take some risks. We chose to stay out on slicks because the track was dry in sectors one and two, but as soon as we did the rain picked up quickly. I had a massive moment in Eau Rouge and I was lucky to stay out of the wall, but I was really expecting the worst – there’s no small crash there. We had to come in for inters and I locked my rears at the final corner. I jumped on the kerb, damaged my front wing and the time we took to change it meant I only had the chance to do one lap on inters. Perhaps with one more lap I would have been able to fight for pole position, but we can still be very happy about P4. We are in a great position for tomorrow and we can put up a strong fight in the race. At the very least, we are targeting a lot of points – but you can never make predictions in Spa.”

Esteban Ocon, 3rd, 2:01.851
“It’s a fantastic day. After everything that has happened in the last few weeks it’s a special moment and we should enjoy the day. I’m very proud of the entire team because they kept up their motivation and worked really hard to give me a quick car today. Even without the rain, we looked strong and made it well into Q3 in the dry. When the rain started falling, we knew there was the chance to get an even better result, but it wasn’t easy. At the start of Q3 we tried to do a lap on the slicks, but it just wasn’t possible and I had a few scary moments getting back to the pits. When we switched to the intermediates, I knew I needed to get a perfect lap, but on my first attempt I made a small mistake. So on my final lap I tried to be safe as well, and we ended up in third place. I’m so excited for the race. We have a quick car, especially down the straights and we will race hard tomorrow.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal
“It’s a very positive result today although we got a bit lucky with some of the decisions we made when the rain came. We had a quick car, as we saw in Q1 and Q2, but it is also thanks to the good decisions of the engineers that we were able to place both cars so far up the grid. At first we gambled on staying out on slicks, hoping the track would be as dry as on the finish straight, but it quickly became obvious this wasn’t the case. We brought both drivers back in, had a good turnaround and we hit the best time to send them out, as the track was improving with every second at the end of Q3. Esteban and Sergio still had to deliver the good laps and they did. We are in a strong position for tomorrow’s race. We know there are some very quick cars behind us, but we are going to give everything to bring home a lot of points.”

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FIA clarify Force India engine allocation situation

Force India’s future was recently assured when the team’s new owners were granted an entry to the championship. However, it was unclear as to whether Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon would carry over their engine and gearbox allocations or, with the team reborn as a new entity - Racing Point Force India - they would start afresh. But on Saturday morning, F1’s governing body the FIA moved to clarify the situation…

In what the FIA describes as a “highly unusual” situation, they have ruled that while the team have had to forfeit the points scored so far this season (as a result of the team being a completely new entity), the fact that the drivers have kept theirs means it is “logical and fair” that their engine and gearbox allocations “should carry forward to the new team”.

They added in a statement: “Accordingly, we decide that the numbers of power unit elements and gearboxes referred to in Article 23 of the Sporting Regulations and used to date in 2018 by Sahara Force India Formula 1 Team shall carry forward to Racing Point Force India F1 Team.

“It is noted that the Team Principal of Racing Point Force India F1 Team [Otmar Szafnauer] publicly express his prior agreement with this.

“Competitors are reminded that they have the right to appeal the decisions of the Stewards (with the exception of those referred to in Article 12.2.4 of the FIA International Sporting Code), in accordance with Article 15 of the FIA International Sporting Code and Article 9.1.1 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, within the applicate time limits.”
As it stands, Perez and Ocon have both used three internal combustion engines, turbochargers and MGU-Hs. They have also used two MGU-Ks, energy stores and control electronics. If either make any further changes, a grid penalty will be applied.

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Perez hails best Friday of season for Force India

After an uncertain period for Force India, they made an impressive return to action by securing consecutive seventh-place finishes on the opening day of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend – and Sergio Perez believes it is the best Friday performance they’ve delivered this season...

The Silverstone squad will now race under a new team entry - Racing Point Force India F1 Team - for the rest of this season, having come out of administration, and they began their new era with a positive showing at the power-sensitive Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

First it was Esteban Ocon to finish as best of the rest in the first session following the summer break, and then team mate Perez repeated those exploits in FP2.

Perez’s midfield rivals were some way behind, with nearest challenger Carlos Sainz in the Renault eight tenths slower than the Mexican – and it’s the perfect start to the weekend, according to the driver.

“I think it was quite strong, I'm very happy to be back,” Perez said. ”You forget, after a month, the sensation of driving. Once you go for the first time through Eau Rouge, I was so excited. It just comes to you, and I’m enjoying a lot to drive at Spa.

"I think we are quite competitive and probably had the best Friday of the season. I'm very happy and looking forward for tomorrow. We have to prepare urselves for tomorrow to be the best of the rest - and that’s our target.

“The car felt very good today and I’m happy with the balance. It’s probably the best balance we have had all year. So there is the potential for a strong weekend, regardless of what the weather does.”

His team mate Ocon was in a similarly delighted mood post-FP2, and the Frenchman is eager to deliver the goods when he returns to the track on Saturday.

“It's been a good day,” Ocon said. “Overall we arrive here fresh, and also with a competitive car. Sergio was 7th in FP2, and I was 7th in FP1, so pretty solid. Of course we have to keep working because the others are. We will have to keep pushing but we have a good base.
“I enjoy driving here, especially with these cars because they’re amazingly quick. It's always great fun. The car is performing well and I felt very comfortable in the first session.

“We tried a different direction in the afternoon, which didn’t really work and I also had a puncture which meant I had to do most of the session on one set of supersoft tyres. Even so, we have made some good progress today and I think we can fight for a place in Q3 tomorrow.”

Racing Point Force India is a completely new entity, starting with no points, with the former Force India entry excluded from the 2018 constructors’ championship due to its inability to complete the season. However, race drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon will keep their points in the drivers’ standings.

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Belgium GP - Practice Quotes, Force India

A good day for Force India, who had both cars in the top 10 in the first practice session, and Perez coming home best of the rest in FP2. Indeed the Mexican was a handy eight tenths quicker than the rest of the midfield pack, which bodes well for them on Saturday. Ocon was hampered in second practice by a suspected puncture.
 
Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:46.169, P9; FP2: 1:44.662, P7
“I love this track and I’ve really enjoyed getting back in the car today. When you spend a few weeks off, there is nowhere better than Spa to return to action. The car felt very good today and I’m happy with the balance. It’s probably the best balance we have had all year. So there is the potential for a strong weekend, regardless of what the weather does.”

Esteban Ocon - FP1: 1:45.786, P7; FP2: 1:45.935, P13
“It’s great to be racing again. The car is performing well and I felt very comfortable in the first session. We tried a different direction in the afternoon, which didn’t really work and I also had a puncture which meant I had to do most of the session on one set of supersoft tyres. Even so, we have made some good progress today and I think we can fight for a place in Q3 tomorrow.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal
"The conditions remained pretty consistent throughout the day, which is always a bonus here in Spa, and this helped us evaluate the different tyre compounds and rear wing levels. The first practice session was pretty straightforward, but in the afternoon we had a puncture on the out lap of our baseline run with Esteban. This means he only had one set of tyres available and put him on the back foot. Sergio, on the other hand, was able to carry on with the standard programme. We still have some work to do, especially on our long run pace, but overall it was a reasonable day and we were able to collect a lot of data for our engineers to analyse tonight.”

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FIA approve Racing Point Force India F1 entry

Force India's new owners have been granted an official championship entry by F1 governing body the FIA, with the team free to race in this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

Earlier this month, a consortium of investors led by Canadian businessman Lawrence Stroll agreed to bring Force India out of administration. On Thursday the FIA confirmed that the joint administrators of Force India Formula One Team Limited have now completed the sale of the business and its assets to the consortium, now known as Racing Point UK Limited.
Racing Point Force India is a completely new entity, starting with no points, with the former Force India entry excluded from the 2018 constructors’ championship due to its inability to complete the season. However, race drivers Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon will keep their points in the drivers’ standings.

The FIA said in a statement: “Following a disciplinary investigation and prosecution by the FIA under Article 4 of the FIA’s Judicial and Disciplinary Rules, the Sahara Force India F1 Team has accepted its exclusion from the 2018 FIA Formula One World Championship with immediate effect, due to its incapacity to comply with Article 8.2 of the Sporting Regulations moving forward, and forfeits all Constructors Championship points under Article 6.2.”
 

Formula 1 Chairman and CEO Chase Carey commented: “We are very pleased that the situation around Racing Point Force India has been resolved and that the team will continue to race in Formula 1.

“It is also very gratifying that in partnership with the stakeholders involved we have been able to safeguard the livelihoods of the many hundreds of people working at its Silverstone base. It’s enormously important that we have a full grid of competitive, capable teams in Formula 1 and we are confident that Racing Point Force India will go from strength to strength in the future.”

FIA President Jean Todt added: “I am very pleased that a strong, positive outcome has been reached and welcome the mid-season entry of Racing Point Force India.

“Creating an environment of financial stability in Formula One is one of the key challenges faced by the sport, however thanks to the hard work of the FIA, the Joint Administrators, Racing Point and Formula One Management we have a situation now that safeguards the future for all of the highly-talented employees, and will maintain the fair and regulated championship competition for the second half of the season.”

Joint Administrator Geoff Rowley said: “This has been a complex process, but as a result of following a detailed and thorough procedure we have achieved a successful outcome. Under its new ownership, the team will now be able to operate to its full potential and its future is secured.”

Welcoming a new era for the team, Lawrence Stroll said: “On Monday I stood in front of the workforce at Silverstone and Brackley and applauded the achievements of this team in recent years. The strength of any company is the people that make it up and it’s a huge privilege to begin this exciting new journey with such a talented group of men and women. I’ve been fortunate to establish and grow a number of successful businesses, but the opportunity to take this team forward to the next level is perhaps the most exciting challenge yet.

"Together with my fellow shareholders, we will invest in new resources and bring fresh energy to empower the workforce to continue racing at the very highest level. We are all passionate about motor racing; we recognise the racers’ spirit in Force India, and we are extremely motivated to make this team even more special in the years ahead.”
Under Force India's new ownership structure the team’s Deputy Team Principal, Robert Fernley, will stand down from his role. The remainder of the senior management team remains unchanged with Otmar Szafnauer now the Team Principal and Chief Executive Officer of Racing Point UK Limited.

“This heralds a new and exciting chapter for us,” said Szafnauer. “Just a few weeks ago, an uncertain future lay ahead, with more than 400 jobs at risk; now the new team has the backing of a consortium of investors, led by Lawrence Stroll, who believe in us as a team, in our expertise and in our potential to achieve success on the track.

“We are grateful to the FIA, the Joint Administrators and Formula One Management for their support in helping us achieve such a welcome outcome and ultimately, we trust, for the sport and its many fans.”

 

 

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