Esteban Ocon is happy with his progress with Manor Racing after replacing Rio Haryanto earlier in the 2016 Formula 1 season.
Ocon finished the Italian Grand Prix in eighteenth, the final finisher after four drivers retired from the Grand Prix, but the Frenchman sees some exciting challenges ahead of him as six of the next seven tracks are new for him.
“I’m loving and learning every minute and there’s so much more still to come,” said Ocon. “It’s a big challenge stepping up to F1 in the middle of the season.
“I’m really happy with the way I’ve slotted into the team, and with my own performances. Six of the next seven tracks are new for me, so some exciting challenges are ahead, which is great! Plus, we have some important objectives as a team, which we need to be very focused on.”
The next target for Ocon is to reach Q2 of Qualifying, with team-mate Pascal Wehrlein showing this is possible for Manor after achieving this for the Italian Grand Prix.
“I think we’ve shown that when everything goes our way, we can expect to be in Q2,” added Ocon. “Pascal has been able to show that it’s possible. So that’s the next target for me personally.
“When we start further up the grid, we can create opportunities for the race, and then, who knows, another point is a real possibility. At this stage, that would be a dream come true in a long list of dreams I’d like to realise.”
