Esteban Ocon has acknowledged having committed “errors” during his time competing alongside Force India Formula 1 teammate Sergio Perez, a rivalry that resulted in multiple on-track collisions.
As he embarked on his inaugural full Formula 1 season following a nine-race tenure at Manor, the then-20-year-old Ocon was eager to demonstrate his capabilities in 2017. The driver, backed by Mercedes, partnered with Perez, who had achieved six podium finishes before commencing his seventh F1 campaign.
“Yeah, it was a lot of pressure,” Ocon confessed in the most recent F1 Off The Grid video. “I was racing against someone very experienced, you know, Checo. He was a consistent scorer in the midfield – probably the most consistent.”
The Force India VJM10 showed promise, being the fourth-fastest car overall, suggesting potential for strong outcomes. However, a series of incidents caused the team to forfeit a significant number of points. At Baku, Ocon pushed Perez into the barrier while both cars were running within the top five; similarly, the Mexican driver forced his teammate’s car towards the inner wall twice on the descent from La Source to Eau Rouge at Spa-Francorchamps.
This led to angry remarks from a visibly upset Ocon, who stated to reporters after the event: “I don’t know if he wants to die or something. Today, we lost a lot of points. We took a lot of risk. We risk our lives for nothing and no reason.”
Further discord emerged in 2018 when a crash involving both Force India cars sent Ocon into the wall at the start of the Singapore Grand Prix, an incident for which Perez was held responsible by the team.
Esteban Ocon, Force India F1 Team VJM11 removed from the track
Photo by: Lars Baron / LAT Images via Getty Images
Reflecting on these numerous incidents, the French driver now attributes them to his youthful eagerness.
“I started clearly on the back foot in the first race [of 2017],” he explained. “But then I managed to catch up well after that. And then we were racing very closely. And there were moments where I did mistakes, there were moments where I don’t feel it was necessarily my fault.
“I was very young. I was inexperienced. I wanted to push hard and show people what I was capable of.
“At the time, we were just racing hard and trying to race as the best we can. And that’s also why we got so many points that year. Because we were racing very well together.
“There are things that I would have liked to change. Like Spa, for example. These kinds of moments, it shouldn’t have happened. It cost the team points.
“You know, I’ve made mistakes over my career, and things that I shouldn’t have done in racing. But that’s how you learn from it. We all make mistakes, but it’s how you overcome those.
Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team
Photo by: Lars Baron / LAT Images via Getty Images
“That’s the way I saw racing back then. The track was what matters the most. Still, I believe that the track is what matters the most, but things could have happened in a different way. And with how much respect I had for Checo at the time – and I still have now – I would have preferred things to go in a different way.”
The situation escalated to such an extent that Force India briefly imposed team orders, despite maintaining a secure position in the constructors’ championship – after the 2017 Belgian Grand Prix, they held fourth place with 103 points, trailing Red Bull (199) and leading Williams (45). The team retained this standing from the third round through to the conclusion of the season.
“We finished with a very good championship finish position for the team,” Ocon elaborated. “With fourth place. A top 10 finish in my first full season. So, yeah, it was very solid for sure.”
Given its precarious financial state, Force India could not afford expensive crashes, a situation that ultimately led to a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll acquiring the team in mid-2018; the team now competes under the name Aston Martin.
