GPUpdate.net continues its team-by-team review with Force India, which finished a remarkable fourth once more, as young gun Esteban Ocon slotted in alongside the experienced Sergio Pérez.
Force India: 8/10
Championship: 4th
WCC points: 187
Best race: 4th (1 x PER)
Best qualifying: 5th (1 x OCO)
Fastest laps: 1
Qualifying duel: PER 13 – 7 OCO
Force India picked up where it left off in 2017, despite the obvious hurdles of new regulations and a driver change, with Ocon replacing Nico Hülkenberg. While aided by McLaren-Honda’s struggles, Renault’s slower-than-expected recovery and Williams’ lack of development, Force India strived to shatter the glass ceiling where it could and ultimately cantered to fourth, via 16 double points finishes – a staggering statistic. A so-so pre-season and a few early setbacks were soon forgotten amid strong development, while commercially, the partnership with BWT gave the team a striking livery and altered identity. Where 2017 differed was the lack of a standout result, namely a podium, with opportunities missed in Canada and Azerbaijan, where driver tensions boiled over. Force India’s patience ran out post-Belgium, where revised instructions were issued, and while it perhaps pontificated for too long, its desire to allow both to race was admirable – and it’s a nice problem to have, for other midfielders frequently had too large a disparity between their drivers. Considering the financial resources of the leading three teams, a buffer of over 100 points to the rest of the midfield represented another season of confounding its critics for the Silverstone squad.
Sergio Pérez: 8/10
Championship: 7th
WDC points: 100
Best R result: 4th (1x)
Best Q result: 6th (2x)
Pérez has grown into the perfect midfield driver – marrying his speed with experience, as well as providing strong technical feedback – as he assumed the role of leader in the wake of Hülkenberg’s departure. Pérez bagged points early on but as team-mate Ocon grew in confidence, the pair’s wrestling over top dog status sparked internal strife, culminating in clashes in Azerbaijan and Belgium and while tensions eased, there remains an underlying needle between them. Nonetheless, Pérez held the upper hand over one-lap, and in an extremely close battle, that slender advantage proved crucial on race day. Pérez conceded that the absence of a podium place, for the first time since 2013, acted as a black mark against his campaign, but for a midfield squad he did his job as required – nine times out of 10. The question is whether he will ever be afforded an opportunity again at a top team.
High point: Opportunistic fourth place in Spain
Low point: Clashes with Ocon in Azerbaijan and Belgium
Esteban Ocon: 7.5/10
Championship: 8th
WDC points: 87
Best R result: 5th (2x)
Best Q result: 5th (1x)
The young Frenchman didn’t earn the nickname ‘Oconsistency’ in GP3 for nothing, as he underlined his credentials in 2017, taking 18 points finishes, and retiring just once. Ocon admitted that he was conservative during the initial phase of the campaign in order to learn, and from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards matched Pérez in points. He had to accept his share of the blame for mid-season clashes, courtesy of his inexperience and occasional impetuousness – accusing Pérez of trying to kill him did little to quell tensions. From mid-season onwards he was stronger, aided by his 2016 experience with Manor, particularly impressive in Austin, as he out-gunned Pérez. One-lap pace remained a relative weakness, though it picked up in the second half of the year (as a 9-2 deficit pre-summer became a 5-4 advantage) indicating that it will come with experience. Ocon displayed through 2017 that he has the potential to be a front runner; Mercedes will be watching with interest next year.
High point: Mature weekend-long display in the USA
Low point: Clashes with Pérez in Azerbaijan and Belgium
Statistics
Average qualifying gap: 0.070s (in Pérez’s favour)
Biggest qualifying gap: 0.839s to Pérez in China (Ocon hampered by yellow flags in Q1)
Smallest qualifying gap: 0.002s to Ocon in Italy (wet conditions)
Average qualifying result: Pérez 9.3, Ocon 10.15
Retirements:
Pérez 1
Ocon 1
Race head-to-head: Pérez 11 – 6 Ocon
Source :http://feeds.gpupdate.net
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