23/10/2016
NEWS STORY
After a good start, Esteban picked up damage that compromised the balance of his MRT05 and made for a difficult 3-stop race. Pascal, on a 2-stop strategy, finished ahead in P17. Another two-car finish to carry into Mexico next weekend.
Pascal, how was your first United States Grand Prix?
Pascal Wehrlein: "All things considered, I'm really pleased with my weekend here. There were some challenging moments, but I'm happy with how we overcame those to have a good qualifying and now race today. The race itself was very straightforward. I think we got the most from the car, so given that I missed quite a bit of track time, it was a good result."
What about the overall Austin experience. Pretty cool track and city, right?
PW: "It's definitely one of my favourite races of the season so far. We found some time to do some really fun things with the team, at the same time as working hard for the racing, so overall it's been a great weekend. My thanks to the team and I hope we can continue like this into Mexico next week."
Esteban, fantastic start. We thought you were going all the way to the front!
Esteban Ocon: "It was a great start. I gained six places I think. Obviously, I dropped back gradually through the lap and then the tyres were sliding around quite a bit. I don't think it was such a good idea to start on the Medium tyre, but even so, the early part of the race was good."
From that point on the race seemed to go less well for you.
EO: "Yes, it seems that I picked up some damage that affected the balance. The team spotted something in the data and we tried to manage the situation, particularly during the pit stops, but it was harder to drive the car and in the end I was just pleased to get to the finish. I was hoping for something more but it was good to get both cars home at least, to reward all the hard work by the team."
Dave Ryan, Racing Director: "A strong performance from both drivers today to achieve another two-car finish and manage our championship position. Pascal carried the momentum of a good qualifying forward into today and drove a tidy race. With Esteban, he did really well at the start and it was such a shame that the rest of the race was made difficult when he picked up some damage. Another back-to-back turnaround now and on to Mexico next weekend."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Austin, here.