22/10/2017
NEWS STORY
Sahara Force India scored 12 points in today's United States Grand Prix as Esteban Ocon raced to sixth place ahead of Sergio Perez in eighth.
Esteban Ocon: "Sixth place feels very satisfying because it was not an easy race with so much pressure from Sainz in the final stages. I spent a big part of the race just managing my pace and looking after the tyres to make the one-stop strategy work. The team told me when to push and when to manage the pace, and to finish sixth shows we judged this almost perfectly. Before the race there was an issue on the grid with a control unit in my car, but the team did a really good job to make the repairs in time for the start. The car was strong today with good pace and it's another race where we have come away feeling we achieved the maximum result that was possible."
Sergio Perez: "It was a difficult race and I am very happy we managed to score some points. We tried a very aggressive strategy to make up ground after yesterday's qualifying session and we made a very early stop to undercut Massa and Sainz. We managed to do so and I passed Alonso on track, and then got close to Esteban. At the time, I thought I had much better pace because he was saving his tyres, but being in traffic really damaged my tyres and I fell back. It's hard to know how things would have gone if I had got past Esteban - maybe I could have saved my tyres a bit better. When Sainz was behind me, I couldn't do anything because his tyres were much fresher. Towards the end, I had a hard time defending from Kvyat and Massa, and I really struggled to keep Felipe behind in the last few laps. My tyres were on the limit, but I am happy I was able to finish eighth. It's been a good result for the team so we can be happy."
Robert Fernley: "It's been another competitive weekend with both cars showing strong pace and racing well this afternoon. The one-stop strategies for both cars paid off and we've scored 12 points to consolidate our fourth place in the championship. Managing the pace and looking after the tyres was critical today and both drivers did what was asked of them. They attacked in the early stages and defended well after their stops. Esteban's battle with Sainz was very intense and it was fabulous to see Esteban hold him off - especially considering Esteban's has not been well this weekend.a Similarly, Sergio's defence against Massa in the final few laps demonstrated Sergio's fantastic race craft. Today's result is the ideal way to prepare for next week's Mexican race, which is a hugely important event for everybody in the team."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Austin, here.