Ocon and Perez in good spots for high finish

ESTEBAN Ocon and Sergio Perez (pic) kept Force India in the top 10 – and within striking distance for the points – at the Petronas Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix.

Ocon was sixth after the qualifying session while Perez, who was given a new contract for 2018, was ninth on the grid.

Force India have been struggling for much of the season but are fourth in the constructors’ championship.

They look good enough to maintain the position after the Malaysia Grand Prix.

They have 124 points while fifthplaced Williams are 58 points behind.

Mercedes lead the way with 475 points, followed by Ferrari (373pts) and Red Bull (230pts).

Ocon managed 17 laps and was timed at 1:31.478 while Perez came in at 1:31.658.

Frenchman Ocon made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix replacing Rio Haryanto.

He has had 23 starts since then. This year, he has racked up 56 points in the driver’s championship to be placed in eighth spot.

Perez is in seventh spot with 68 points. Ocon was happy with the performance of the car yesterday.

“I’m very happy with our performance today. The car has been working well since the start of practice and it’s clear that all the hard work we have done since Singapore has paid off,” he said.

“I think we found further performance today and all the small changes we made to the car really helped make the difference. So, it’s a great team effort and we are in good shape for tomorrow.

“My laps today were strong probably some of my best of the season, but there is still room to improve.

“You never know what can happen in the race, but its a good chance to score some big points.”

Perez felt that the results have put them in a good position for a high finish.

Said Sergio: “It wasn’t an easy qualifying session for me. I’ve been unwell this week and this is possibly the worst place to not feel 100%.

“I made a mistake at Turn 11 during my final lap in Q3 and lost my rhythm. It was a small lock-up on what had been a very good lap until then.

“But it cost me enough time to be only ninth. It’s still a good result.”