Esteban Ocon admitted to struggling with the Supersoft tyre as he qualified twenty-second on the grid for the United States Grand Prix on Saturday, and also struggled for timing after a sticking wheel nut meant he was forced to run harder on his outlap that he would have liked.
The Frenchman finished just 0.258 seconds shy of Manor Racing MRT team-mate Pascal Wehrlein at the Circuit of the Americas despite the issues, which also involved a small mistake, and Ocon knows a good start is essential if he is to make up ground on Sunday.
“We struggled a bit on the Supersoft,” said Ocon. “I came out of the garage quite late as we had a problem with a sticking wheel nut, so I had to push on my outlap, which didn’t help. Overall, it was a difficult qualifying. I made a small mistake which cost me some time; it’s a tricky circuit.
“For tomorrow, there will be a lot of different strategies between the teams, some quicker than others, but it should be interesting. We do know our strategy for tomorrow and we’ll see how that works out. I need a good start and hopefully gain a few places right away. One way or another, I’m expecting a nice fight.”
