Esteban Ocon enjoyed his tussle against Lewis Hamilton in F1 Japanese GP where he ended up inside the Top 5 as best of the rest.
Having qualified fifth in F1 Japanese GP, Alpine’s Ocon was already on a high for Sunday’s grand prix. It was a steady start from him and he maintained track position all-through, aided by the right strategy from the team’s side to score handy points.
His tyres though started to degrade by the end of the race where he faced the might of Mercedes’ Hamilton. Despite multiple attempts from the Brit, there was no way through. The Alpine’s straightline speed just helped Ocon to stay ahead.
They came close to hitting too, but avoided it as Ocon was delighted by the tussle especially where he came out on top. “It’s very good that we’ve scored that many points,” he said. “It was looking like we had nothing in the beginning, you know – there was no racing, the weather was really bad.
“Eventually, the rainfall reduced. I was still not confident that we would be able to go racing again, but the track did clear quite quickly and it was good to finally get going. From there on, the fighting with Lewis, I enjoyed it a lot – it was a lot of fun. It was a bit of a karting battle, trying different lines; not one corner was I not watching my mirrors.
“It was definitely good fun [and] I’m very happy with the outcome,” summed up Ocon, where Hamilton concurred with the Frenchman about the fight. The two have had multiple tussles throughout the 2022 season and Japan seemed was the one both enjoyed.
“I had a lot of fun, Ocon did a great job staying on track and staying ahead, obviously he was very, very quick on the straights,” said Hamilton to media. “I was trying everything, but we I think we had the most fun. I don’t know how other people had it. I don’t feel frustrated, because it was a sprint race.
“I did the best I could, and I’m happy that we at least got some points. We were just so slow in a straight line. I was getting close, as close as I could. You could probably see it on the TV, as soon as I pulled out they would just pull away. I wish it was a longer race. I’m glad that we got some laps for the fans here.
“Although it’s not really a massive race for them, considering how long they waited. I think it was awesome. I mean, that’s what motor racing is about. I had a blast. It was so tough, so hard to see. I think the restart that we had at the end, I think it was perfect timing, and I just wish we could have gone longer into a bit of the dark. We lost a little bit of the light.”
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