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Ocon: Baku "a great chance for us"

18:54, 23 Apr 2018

byJake Williams-Smith

Estaban Ocon believes this weekends Azerbaijan Grand Prix is a great chance for his team to score valuable points in the hotly contested fight in the midfield. Force India haven't got off to the finest of starts however the Frenchman enjoys Baku and believes there he has every chance to do well.

“Baku is a cool event. It’s so fast with the longest straight of the year, which is quite unusual for a street circuit.

“It produced probably the best race for fans last year. I love the atmosphere of city races and it’s a really interesting place to explore. I also enjoy the delayed schedule because we wake up later in the day and there is more chance to have a good night’s sleep.”

“My first race in Baku last year was pretty eventful. So much happened in the race and it was definitely a missed opportunity for us,” he added.

Ocon and Sergio Perez came to blows last time out at the street circuit and ultimately cost the team a possible double podium, but Ocon says there is every chance they can still score well again in 2018.

“We were competitive so I hope we can be quick again this year. The racing down the main straight was really cool and if you pick up a tow you can find a huge speed advantage.

“Baku is definitely a great chance for us to score points. The car is improving with each race and I can see how hard everybody is working to find more performance.

“At every race this year we’ve had new items to test and it’s the same this weekend. It’s still early days in the season and if we can unlock the potential in the car I think we can be up there fighting consistently at the front of the midfield.”