Both Manor teams classified, but a bitter weekend for Esteban Ocon
Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon finished the American event in 17th and 18th place respectively. From a personal point of view, the Frenchman said he was "disappointed" with his three days of driving.
After a difficult and complicated start to the weekend for both Manor drivers, and particularly Esteban Ocon, during qualifying, the race was not at all easy for the latter.
Indeed, the driver who joined mid-season was unable to deliver the lap he wanted on Saturday, condemning him to start from the back of the grid. Nonetheless, a good race seemed imminent with a superb start from the Frenchman.
« It was a great start. I think I gained six places. » In reality, the native of Evreux had moved up to 18th place, ahead of Wehrlein.
But the subsequent events were less fortunate, losing positions in favor of drivers who had fitted faster tires.
For clarification, the Renault test driver started on Medium, the most conservative specification for this Grand Prix. Here, he himself admitted that it was not necessarily the best strategy.
Obviously, I downshifted gradually; then the tires started to become slippery. I don’t think it was such a good idea to start with Medium tires, even though the first part of the race was good.
Subsequently, the 2015 GP3 Series champion experienced issues with the balance of his single-seater, which forced him to struggle until the end.
« It seems that I sustained some damage that affected the balance. The team spotted something in the data and we tried to address the situation, particularly during pit stops; but it was more challenging to drive the car. Ultimately, I was just happy to reach the finish line. »
Ocon was simply disappointed with his race and the weekend from which he had hoped for a more favorable outcome.
After a good start where we gained 6 places, a disappointing race for us today… Lost a part of the car lap 12 and time with it. Onto 🇲🇽 😉! pic.twitter.com/dZNBGVpkYc
— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) 24 octobre 2016
But he remains nevertheless satisfied that the team was able to have both cars reach the finish.
I was hoping for something more, but it was nice to be able to bring both cars to the finish, to reward all the team’s hard work.
On the other side of the garage, Pascal Wehrlein was pleased with his weekend in Austin, starting with a good qualifying from his point of view, then a good race, despite having messed up his FP3 by ending up in the gravel.
All things considered, I’m really happy with my weekend here. There were difficult moments, but I’m satisfied with how we overcame them. The race itself was straightforward. I think we got the most out of the car, given that I missed some track time. It was a good result.
It now only remains to hope for Team Manor to finish its last three races and for Sauber not to score any points. The “wooden spoon” for the 11th and final place in the constructors’ standings is at stake.
Esteban Ocon will thus have to surpass himself, especially since information has leaked in the Austin paddock: he is now a “finalist” in the race for the second Renault seat in 2017 against Kévin Magnussen. A stellar performance between Mexico and Abu Dhabi, including Interlagos, would certainly be welcome for the Frenchman…
