Esteban Ocon says the recent post-season tyre test in Abu Dhabi has helped him and his Sahara Force India Formula 1 Team in preparing for 2018, despite the Frenchman not getting the chance to try Pirelli‘s new HyperSoft tyres.
Ocon put in 72 laps in the VJM10-04 on the final day of the test and posted the fifth fastest time but insists that lap-times weren’t important, preferring to focus on the useful information gained from running Pirelli’s new rubber.
“Trying the 2018 tyre compounds was very useful and has helped our preparation for next season,” said Ocon.
“We learnt loads about the tyres and, even though I didn’t get to test the new HyperSofts, I was able to do short and long runs on the other compounds I tried.
“The conditions on track weren’t perfect: it was much warmer and windier than during qualifying and the race, but it was still good enough to give us useful information.”
