Sochi Qualifying – Force India: two top-10 finishes and a first for Ocon
For the first time this season, the Sahara Force India team put its two cars in Q3. Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon will occupy the 5th row of the grid in 9th and 10th positions. Double satisfaction for the Frenchman, who reached the top 10 in qualifying for the first time in his career.
Force India has started its season well by scoring points in each of the previous three races. It occupies the 4th place in the Constructors’ standings with 17 points. This double entry into the Top 10 by Sergio Pérez and Esteban Ocon in 9th and 10th positions respectively gives them hope to score big points on Sunday.
Sergio Pérez Q3: 9th (1:35.337)
The Mexican also has good memories in Sochi, as he had been on the podium during the 2015 edition.
Today in qualifying, the Guadalajara native secured 9th place on the grid. Nonetheless, this good result was not easy to achieve due to the track’s evolution and the difficulty in getting the tires to work properly.
He recounts his session: « It wasn’t an ideal session for me. But in the end, we achieved a good result, and we can be delighted to be in Q3. I didn’t achieve the perfect lap. (…). It’s not easy to bring the tires into the right operating window and maintain them throughout a full lap. Added to that, the track conditions changed a lot compared to yesterday, and I think it affected everyone. »
The objective is clear for Sergio Pérez tomorrow, gain positions: « The key for the race tomorrow will be to have a good start up to the second corner. It’s a complicated corner and in the past, there has been a lot of action at the start. I am optimistic about the race. I think we can aim for higher positions from our starting point. »
Happy to achieve today’s goal: get into Q3! We have a great starting position. Tomorrow I’ll give it all to continue scoring points! 🇷🇺🏔🏁 pic.twitter.com/pa1zO2LzAE
— Sergio Pérez (@SChecoPerez) 29 avril 2017
Esteban Ocon Q3: 10th (1:35.430)
Esteban Ocon started his season in the best possible way by scoring points in each of his races. The only thing left was to find a compromise to also be competitive in qualifying and make it to Q3. This has been achieved today in Russia, with this 10th position on the grid.
The Frenchman could be satisfied with this great performance of the day: « It’s the first appearance in Q3 of my career and I am relatively happy with our performance today. »
He continues on the work done by his team to get there: « The team did a fantastic job improving the car throughout each session, and I felt very comfortable at the start of qualifying. »
The native of Evreux, however, admits to having made a small mistake during his lap in Q3: « I made a small mistake during my lap in Q3. I am a bit frustrated because there was an opportunity to be even higher on the grid. »
Just like his teammate, he wishes to have a good start and turn his result of the day into points: « If I can make a clean start, everything will be at stake for tomorrow. It’s important that I take advantage of my best qualification in Formula 1 to score more points. »
First Q3 of my career!! Please with the job achieved by @ForceIndiaF1 this week end ! All to play tomorrow 🤙🏻 #RussianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/vUhBvqiBF1
— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) 29 avril 2017
