Esteban Ocon insists finishing all three of his Formula 1 Grand Prix to date is important as he continues to learn his way in the sport, and is eager to learn more this weekend in the Malaysian Grand Prix.
The Manor Racing driver is hopeful though of better luck at the Sepang International Circuit after seeing his chances of matching team-mate Pascal Wehrlein disappear through two slow pit stops in Singapore last time out.
“Three race distances ticked off is certainly important for me, after starting my F1 career over halfway through the season,” said Ocon. “It hasn’t all been plain sailing though and in particular Singapore was a tough race in which we made life difficult for ourselves.
“Still, there’s a lot to look forward to – practice makes perfect and all that – and I’m hoping for better things from here onwards.”
Ocon knows the weekend in Malaysia will be a different experience for him, and should it rain, it would be his first experience driving the car in wet conditions.
“It will be quite a different experience to Singapore, which was characterised by more and slower turns, plus the very different challenge of a street circuit,” said Ocon. “This one is much faster with longer corners, so more representative of the circuits where our car has performed better.
“The high temperatures make it tough on the tyres, so we’ll have to work at managing the degradation, plus rain could be a factor – potentially my first wet sessions. I’m looking forward to another new experience.”
