Esteban Ocon felt Manor Racing got their strategy calls pretty much correct during the Japanese Grand Prix but the pace of the car was not good enough for anything better than twenty-first on Sunday.
The Frenchman felt that with a few extra laps around the Suzuka International Racing Course he could have made a challenge to Esteban Gutierrez for twentieth but ran out of time, although he is happy with the progress he is making after finishing ahead of team-mate Pascal Wehrlein for the first time.
“We struggled a bit with the pace but I think we had a better strategy this time,” said Ocon. “A few more laps and I think I could have got close enough to Esteban Gutierrez to pass him.
“We keep making progress, always getting closer to the competition, which is good. Now we need to take some time to have a good look at all the data we’ve gathered – where we’re missing something, where we can improve – but what I can do also.
“There are only four races left and they will pass by quickly, but also four races is a lot of opportunities to improve and we have a lot to fight for, still.”
