Esteban Ocon ahead of Saudi Arabian GP - Fresh start 14.03.2023: STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX Jeddah Corniche Circuit 17-19 March 2023 Things did not go to plan for Esteban Ocon in Bahrain. After a strong Saturday showing by reaching Q3 in impressive style, the Frenchman left empty-handed from the race. Este

STC SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX
Jeddah Corniche Circuit
17-19 March 2023




Things did not go to plan for Esteban Ocon in Bahrain. After a strong Saturday showing by reaching Q3 in impressive style, the Frenchman left empty-handed from the race. Esteban sees Saudi Arabia as a fresh start to open his 2023 points-scoring account.




It was not the start to the season we wanted in Bahrain, what do you make of the team’s first race of the year?



It was probably the worst race of my Formula 1 career to date, given how everything played out on Sunday. Unfortunately, it was compromised from the start with the starting grid infringement and from there everything went downhill.


What is most important is we learn from our mistakes and make sure they are not repeated. The team and I will move on together and that’s why we are looking forward to Jeddah. Pierre did a great job in the race, starting from the back of the grid to score his first points.


I take many positives from that as it shows the car has potential to come through the field, which shows we have good pace. We just have to unlock that to its maximum – on both Saturday and Sunday – and I see this weekend as an opportunity to bounce back and I look forward to it.
 




What positives can you take going into the second race of the season?


There are many positives we can all draw from. On my side, it was good to start the year by reaching Q3 in Qualifying. I think there’s more to come on low fuel too, so let’s see what we can achieve this Saturday. As I mentioned, our race pace was strong, and we had the performance to have both cars inside the points.


That will be the goal in Jeddah, a track I enjoy and where we have done well in the past, including a near-podium in 2021. We’ll be aiming for a smooth weekend with both cars, and we aim to leave Saudi Arabia with a result we can be proud of and know we deserve.



    
What is it about the Jeddah Corniche Circuit that you enjoy?


Jeddah is a very unique circuit in Formula 1. It is a very fast and flowing street circuit and most of the lap is taken at full throttle, which is very exciting. There are some changes to the circuit this year to improve safety and visibility on corner entry, so we’ll definitely be offering some feedback on the changes on Friday after Practice to see how effective they are.



In terms of the racing in Jeddah, we know overtaking is possible, the chance of safety cars are high given the nature of the track, so we have to remain ready for all possibilities. The whole team is ready and motivated for a better weekend to kickstart our season.





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