Esteban Ocon believes Force India made the right decision to tell he and Sergio Perez to hold station during the Japanese Grand Prix claiming there was “nothing to gain” by letting them race.
Sunday’s race at Suzuka saw the first real test of the new team instructions introduced following the Belgian Grand Prix when the two drivers collided twice costing the team crucial points as well as other incidents and controversies earlier in the season.
The situation arose as Perez closed in on his teammate after Ocon fell back from a lofty position of third in the early laps. The two ‘pink panthers’ would run in formation for much of the race with the Mexican requesting permission to challenge but would be denied by the pit wall.
“I tried my best to keep Ricciardo and Bottas behind, but they were just too quick and I had to let them go and focus on my race,” Ocon said of his strong start. “The main challenge today was managing my pace because it was a one-stop race and it was important to look after the tyres so they would be strong at the end.
“I was running ahead of Checo, we had nothing to gain from the cars ahead and a comfortable margin to the cars behind. So the priority was to bring the car home and score the big points.”
Despite the frustration of following the 21-year-old home, Perez conceded it was in the best interest of Force India to not risk a repeat of earlier incidents.
“I am very happy for the team with this great result, which was definitely the maximum we could achieve today,” the 27-year-old said. “I felt I was quicker than Esteban in the second stint and I had an opportunity to overtake him at the final restart, but we followed the team’s instructions.
“We knew this would be the case so it wasn’t a surprise, and swapping us wouldn’t have made a difference in terms of points for the team, so I understand the team’s perspective.
“In the end, Esteban did a great job during the whole weekend, the last two races have been really strong for us and I’m very pleased with the results we have achieved.”
