Esteban Ocon: We will see a wheel-to-wheel fight in Baku

In the final stage in Monaco, Esteban Ocon finished ninth, but a penalty dropped him to twelfth in protocol and earned no points. The Alpine racer is determined to win back on the city circuit in Baku.

Q: How do you rate this past weekend in Monaco?
Esteban Ocon: The weekend didn’t start well, but the team did a great job getting the car ready in qualifying, where we showed a good pace. On Sunday it was a different story – most of the race was in difficult conditions and because of the penalty I was left without points. This result did not match the team’s form that weekend.

Whatever the disappointment, we left Monaco with our heads held high because we knew we had a good car to be in the top ten. We will draw conclusions and use the information received on another city highway in Baku.

Q: What do you think of the circuit in Baku?
Esteban Ocon: I love this city circuit and we know a lot can happen on it. Unlike Monaco, there are plenty of overtaking opportunities in Baku and the car has been tuned for less downforce due to the long straights and high speed sections.

We’ll see wheel-to-wheel battle on the straights, which is great, but it’s important to find the right balance between top speed and handling in slow corners, which is important for good lap times. You have to choose the right settings.

Q: What do you expect from the coming weekend?
Esteban Ocon: The task is to spend the weekend without any problems – neatly working out the Friday program and preparing for qualifying. It is necessary to take a high starting position to earn points after a disappointing stage in Monaco.

Last year I only completed three laps due to a mechanical failure, so now I’m looking forward to the start of the race weekend in Baku.