The Force India Formula One team got their 2017 F1 season off to a great start when they walked away from the season opening Australian Grand Prix with seven points in their pocket. It is a fantastic reward for all the hard work the team put in not only over the winter months, but also over the course of the GP weekend.
Esteban Ocon’s debut race for the team saw the young Frenchman delivering a fantastic drive and everyone in the team was delighted to see him score his first point in the pinnacle of Motorsports.
The Frenchman’s race-long fight with Fernando Alonso was one of the big stories of the race and seeing Esteban overtake with just six laps to go was also great entertainment for the fans.
“Scoring my first point in Melbourne is a very nice reward after what has been quite a tough weekend,” Esteban said. “I spent almost the entire race fighting against Fernando [Alonso] because we were side-by-side for the first lap of the race. He was able to stay ahead and I had to chase him for the rest of the afternoon.”
“It was a hard fight because Fernando is a tough opponent and it was so difficult to get close and overtake. Eventually I found a gap in the last few laps and took my chance going into turn one. It was a big moment for my race and took me into the points. I’m happy with the result and I feel I’ve learned a huge amount from my first race weekend with this team. I hope this is the first point of many this season.”
