Robert Fernley was downbeat following the Monaco Grand Prix after seeing the Sahara Force India F1 Team’s points scoring run come to an end, with Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez finishing twelfth and thirteenth after eventful races.
Unscheduled pit stops for both drivers, Perez after early contact with Carlos Sainz Jr and Ocon with a puncture, saw them fall out of contention for points, but Deputy Team Principal Fernley believes that had they not had their issues, points could certainly have been a possibility for both.
The team will now try and regroup and reset heading into the Canadian Grand Prix next month, aiming for a return to the points for both Perez and Ocon.
“A day of unrealised potential on both sides of the garage,” said Fernley. “Sergio’s contact with Sainz on lap one proved very costly with the early pit stop to change the nose.
“For Esteban, it was always going to be difficult to battle through from P15 on the grid, but the race was coming to us until he picked up a puncture. It cost Esteban a handful of points and that was a real shame.
“So it was one of those days when things didn’t go our way – as can often be the case in Monaco. We will dust ourselves down and look to come back strongly in Montreal in two weeks’ time.”
