Source: Force India Media

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Force India call incident between two drivers unacceptable

Force India call incident between two drivers "unacceptable"

16-09-2018 18:43
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Force India team principal Otmar Szafnauer has called the collision between his two drivers Esteban Ocon and Sergio Pérez "unacceptable", as the Mexican didn't leave Ocon any room, forcing him into the wall.

Last season, of course, team orders were eventually put in place after the two didn't stop fighting on track and causing collisions with each other. Pérez, who got a penalty later in the race for ramming Sergey Sirotkin, did finish the race, but Ocon had to call it a day after a few turns.

Szafnauer is left very frustrated, arguing that the same kind of team orders might be necessary to keep the two apart.

"Well I mean it’s unacceptable for them to come together like that in an area there’s no run-off room - they’ve got to leave each other room," he told Sky Sports F1.

"The team is more important than any one individual and we'll have to go back to the rules we instilled on them last year.

"If that’s what they're going to do we’re going to have to take control from here.

"Once they're in the car it's hard to control what they do but prior to that we can control them."

Pérez did apologize over the team radio shortly after the incident, as Ocon's crash caused a Safety Car for four straight laps.

"If it’s somebody else, if it’s not your team-mate, then it’s a racing incident but if it’s your team-mate you’ve got to give room," Szafnauer repeated.

"It’s been over a year since [the last clash] it happened and it was in Baku last year that we installed the rules.

"It was after Spa, if you remember, and from Spa until here it hasn’t happened so we are back to the old rules.

"If they continue to do this, even on lap one, then there’s other ways to separate them which we hope that we don’t ever have to employ."