22/07/2018
NEWS STORY
Sahara Force India scored ten points in Hockenheim today as Sergio Perez raced to seventh place ahead of Esteban Ocon in eighth place.
Sergio Perez: "When you come away from such a crazy afternoon with some good points you have to be happy. The whole race was very busy and I was always in the middle of the pack fighting the cars around me. I had a mega first stint, but we were unlucky with the slow pit stop, which cost us a few seconds. Then, when the rain arrived, it was very tricky and each lap was a new adventure. I spun while I was lapping Leclerc - I don't think he saw me and I just lost the rear end. To survive all these things and finish seventh is a good achievement. It's just a shame I lost a position to Grosjean on the final lap, but we did all we could today."
Esteban Ocon: "It's a great result for us after yesterday's disappointment. I made a good start and gained a few places in the opening laps, but besides that the first stint was pretty boring. It's only after the pit stop, when it started raining, that Sergio and I truly made the difference. We gained a few positions on slicks under the rain and it was really good fun. I had to evaluate the situation lap by lap, based on how much rain I could see on my visor and picking my braking points accordingly, but we never really had any doubt about staying out. To get in the points after a tough Saturday is a great result: we stayed solid, we believed in our strategy and in the end it paid off."
Otmar Szafnauer: "To come away from Germany with ten points represents a very good afternoon's work. We rode our luck at times, but the drivers gave excellent feedback on the conditions and we made some brave decisions from the pit wall. A bit of rain always adds some drama and keeping the car on track on slicks was a real challenge this afternoon. To complete the race with only one pit stop for each car was definitely the right strategy and the result is vindication of that. It was very close with Grosjean catching us in the closing laps with a big tyre advantage and a strong Ferrari engine, and in the end we couldn't hold him off. We worked hard for this result today and credit to the entire team for a well-executed race."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Hockenheim, here.