Okon: Even a pair of glasses is almost like a podium for us
The Canadian Grand Prix was the fourth stage of the season in which Esteban Ocon managed to earn points – in Montreal he finished 9th, including ahead of Carlos Sainz. Commenting on this at today's FIA press conference in Austria, the French Haas F1 driver said he was not surprised by the result.
Esteban Ocon: "I'm not surprised, because we knew that we usually have a better race pace than qualifying. In addition, I was very pleased with the tactics offered to me by the team, because it allowed me to compete with Carlos Sainz throughout the race. This was a pleasant surprise, because we thought that Williams would be much faster than us.
Of course, it's great that we managed to score points in the 200th Haas race. After the finish, a lot was decided in the stewards' room, but in the end everything ended well.… I can say for sure that this year, every time we had the opportunity to compete for places in the top ten, we used these chances. With such a density of results as this season, it's important not to miss a single opportunity, even if it's just one or two points.
Even a couple of points for 9th place is almost like a podium for us. So we ran the Canadian race very confidently, and we need to continue in the same vein. Let's see how the car performs this weekend, because the track in Spielberg is very interesting, and in previous years our team has performed well here. However, first we need to check how the VF-25 will work in the first practice session compared to the cars of other teams, because it is clear that it is better to avoid overconfidence.
A couple of years ago, it was possible to drive a lap in qualifying two to three tenths slower, but still maintain a position in relation to rivals. Right now, it's important to drive the lap as well as possible, find the right settings, and control all aspects of the work. If the track doesn't suit your car very well, you don't have a chance to score well in qualifying, but you still have a chance in the race.…
At the Red Bull Ring, we anticipate difficulties in terms of brake wear, as well as the risk of overheating of the car and engine. All nodes here are working with high loads, and in the past we have seen that some teams had reliability problems because of this. However, I have heard that it will get colder during the weekend - then the risk of difficulties will decrease."
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Okon: Even a pair of glasses is almost like a podium for us
The Canadian Grand Prix was the fourth stage of the season in which Esteban Ocon managed to score points – he finished 9th in Montreal, and, commenting on this at the FIA press conference in Austria, the French Haas F1 racer said that the result did not surprise him...