Esteban Ocon insists the problems that faced the team during the 2017 Formula 1 season due to the high profile clashes between himself and his Sahara Force India F1 Team team-mate Sergio Perez will not reoccur in 2018.
The Frenchman and his Mexican team-mate collided in both the Azerbaijan and Belgian Grand Prix, with the clash in the former costing them a near-certain podium finish, if not better, especially with the chaos that ensued that day around the Baku City Circuit.
Ocon said it was a tough period to go through, with their bosses implementing team orders as a result to prevent a repeat, but with the likelihood that they will be able to race against each other again from the start of the forthcoming season, the Mercedes-Benz protégé does not expect to clash with Perez again.
“We went through a period which was quite tough, we were fighting for a 10th, for 100ths in practice and on tracks,” said Ocon to Reuters.
“There was a time when we got too close but that’s over now… I think there should be no worries that this will continue. I don’t want it to happen.”
“We would probably never go on holidays together, but we have no problem. There is a great atmosphere in the team, everyone’s working closely and I work closely with him as well so there are no issues.”
