Esteban Ocon says he lost a place on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix because he played it “too safe” while passing a yellow flag.
Arvid Lindblad passed Ocon as they raced towards the finishing line and beat him to seventh place by just seven hundredths of a second.The pair passed yellow flags at turn 15 where Valtteri Bottas had crashed into the barrier. Ocon believes Lindblad gained on him there before they accelerated towards the finishing line after the next corner.
“I lost the place to Avid at the end on the straight line,” said Ocon. “It was a little bit chaotic with the yellow flag.
“I judged a little bit on the too safe side not to gain any advantage. But he was too fast in the straight line so I probably would have lost it anyway.”
Despite seeing two points slip through his fingers on the final lap, Ocon was pleased with the team’s first points score since the Monaco Grand Prix.
“It’s only [eighth] but it was a hard-fought one,” he said. “Definitely very happy with the car pace.
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“We were struggling a little bit in the beginning, but we got more front end at the pit stop and that’s what we needed. We were flying from there and as soon as there was a start – a safety car restart or whatever – we were always moving forward. So so that’s really good.”
“We deserve all of it,” Ocon added. “It’s very positive for the next two races of the triple-header.
“We have a competitive car. They seem to be healthy, both. So when that happens, we can perform, as I always said. We deserve it and I deserve it too.”
Ocon’s future in F1 is in doubt after he admitted this weekend he is a “free agent” for next year. He said today’s result shows “I can do these things, when I’ve got the same car, as what the Haas car can deliver.
“I’ve won in every category I’ve driven I won in go-karts, I won a Formula Renault I won in GP3 I won the Formula 3, I won in Formula 1. I can fight out there, I’ve got what it takes.”
“I put the work out there and I don’t just sit around and think I’ve done enough, I want to do more,” he added. “But it feels good – it’s not a win but it’s pretty satisfying.”
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