Esteban Ocon was left disappointed after finishing eighteenth in the Singapore Grand Prix, two laps down on the race winner Nico Rosberg.
The Manor Racing driver had two difficult pit stops during the race, which left him well adrift of the pack, with his first stop incorporating a five second time penalty when he was found to have overtaken another driver behind the safety car.
“At the start I managed to avoid the debris that came from the incident involving Hulkenberg, but after that I picked up a penalty for passing under the safety car,” said Ocon.
“I took the penalty at my first stop but that stop became even more problematic when there was an issue fitting the wheel. I lost so much time and it was very frustrating, because there was little I could do but focus on finishing the race. Then there was a second difficult stop and it was tough to be so far down.”
Ocon is hoping to be able to put the experience of another race finish to good use in two weeks time in Malaysia, and is also hoping the Sepang track suits Manor better than the Marina Bay Street Circuit has this weekend.
“Singapore is a very special place and a spectacular Grand Prix, so although I didn’t get the opportunity to show our strengths here, I have some good memories and experiences to take away,” said Ocon.
“It’s my third race finish now and so I have six races remaining to put that work to good use, which is what we’ll do in Malaysia in two weeks’ time.”
