Force India’s deputy team boss Bob Fernley has named one area he thinks Esteban Ocon can still improve despite a remarkable run of results in his first year with the team in 2017.
The Frenchman has been perhaps the biggest rising star of this season having shown incredible consistency to only sit behind Lewis Hamilton in terms of most points finishes with 15 in the first 16 races, the only exception coming back in Monaco.
His run has also come despite a sometimes tense partnership with his teammate Sergio Perez, with the pair proving so equally matched they have often shared the same piece of tarmac, coming to blows notably in Baku and Spa.
That led to Force India imposing strict team orders, which were used for the first time in Suzuka, and Fernley believes the wheel-to-wheel tactics are still a weakness for the former European F3 champion.
“He is getting better, and he’s fortunate to have a very, very good teammate, who is an absolute out and-out-racer, who keeps him very, very focused,” Fernley said initially of Ocon’s performances.
“He’s still got a little bit to learn in terms of racecraft, and that’s where he benefits from having Checo around him. On out-and-out pace, he’s there, but he’s young, and he’s still got a little bit to go.”
The regular double points results with both drivers, with sixth and seventh in Japan their 13th of the year, has left Force India comfortably clear of their midfield rivals in fourth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Looking back on the performance at Suzuka and more generally, the deputy boss has been pleased how the team and car have developed.
“For us, it was a textbook race, we just delivered,” he said. “From our point of view we introduced the updates in Singapore and that’s two races where we’ve been able to get the package right. We’ve been on our own in terms of being the fourth fastest in qualifying, and the fourth fastest in races.
“It’s a good step in the right direction. We’ve just got to keep hard at it.”
