Esteban Ocon best result for Haas, in fine form in China

What a weekend for Haas in China, when they were clearly not expected to make a splash, no pun intended. After already delivering a strong performance in qualifying on Saturday, 11th, Esteban Ocon managed to gain several positions to achieve the best result in the American team’s history, 7th at the finish line. He collects 6 valuable points for the drivers’ championship.

Speaking to Canal+, the Frenchman explained that he owes this success to the one-stop strategy. “It was very stressful because it wasn’t the plan we had with the strategy. We initially planned for two stops, but with less degradation than expected, the car came alive,” said the driver of car number 31. “We were lacking a bit of speed on the straights, but after Melbourne, it’s satisfying to have managed to turn the situation around in a week, which we didn’t think was possible. We saw the potential of this car in the final laps.”

Ocon’s overtake on Antonelli at the Chinese Grand Prix

He also revisited the overtaking of Kimi Antonelli, a Mercedes (!) let’s remember, with two wheels on the grass. It was tense from the inside! The straight line wasn’t our strong point, but we had to try. There was traffic, and I knew that if I gained a position at that moment, I would keep it until the end of the race, explained the Haas driver.

In the end, it was mainly a tire management race in Shanghai. I wasn’t pushing flat out the whole time; it was a management race. Yuki (Tsunoda) sped up, they went to the pits, and once I was ahead, I thought: “Okay, I have to manage the tires until the end.” There were still 35 laps to go, but the team made the right choice, he further praised.

His teammate Oliver Bearman also delivered a solid race with some beautiful overtakes, earning the point for 10th place after starting in 17th position. This is a good outcome for Haas, who leaves China with 7 additional points.