The BWT Alpine F1 Team were able to show just how the floor update brought to the Marina Bay Street Circuit performed last weekend during the Japanese Grand Prix, according to Esteban Ocon.
Ocon finished a seasons-best fourth at the Suzuka International Racing Course and the Frenchman felt the team were able to show just what they were capable of doing thanks to the new floor.
The Singapore Grand Prix did not offer the team a chance to showcase how good the new floor was due to the bumpy nature and slow corners of the Marina Bay track, but the faster and smoother Suzuka did give them that chance, and both Ocon and team-mate Fernando Alonso were competitive throughout the weekend in Japan.
Qualifying in the dry in particularly was an enjoyable time for Ocon, with the reward coming with fifth on the grid behind the two Oracle Red Bull Racing drivers and two Scuderia Ferrari drivers.
“I think it was a matter of time until we could really show what the car was capable of,” said Ocon to Motorsport.com. “We were able to do that this weekend in general – we were fast in all conditions.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been pure pleasure to drive that car in qualifying yesterday and in the race. A few things to review, but we scored, which was important.”
Ocon was forced to withstand almost race-long pressure from Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team’s Lewis Hamilton at Suzuka, and he admitted it was tough to hold off the seven-time World Champion as well as look after his Pirelli intermediate tyres.
“It was definitely tough,” Ocon added. “I was looking more in the back than in the front in that race. We knew it was going be tough to keep the Mercs behind. But we’ve done it.
“So very, very pleased. It was looking like no points from where we started with the conditions, but in the end I think it’s a good afternoon for us.”
