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Formula 1 Malaysian GP
Sainz drove straight into me, says Ocon
Esteban Ocon has accused Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz of "driving straight into" him as he battled him in his Force India during the Malaysian Grand Prix.
Tom Errington
Edited: Oct 1, 2017, 11:44 AM
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Ocon had closed in on Sainz's eighth position around the halfway distance of the grand prix and made a move at Turn 1 around the outside of him, but his right-rear wheel clipped the Toro Rosso and pitched him into a spin.
Ocon fell to 12th following the incident, but recovered to 10th at the flag, while Sainz later retired with a suspected engine problem.
Ocon says the collision was down to Sainz.
"I tried to overtake Carlos and, I don't know what he did, but he just locked up and drove straight into me," he said.
Sainz disagreed with Ocon's view and said the Force India driver closed the door on him too early in the move.
"We obviously were fighting for position and we both braked extremely late into Turn 1 and then he started closing, closing, closing on me and I didn't have any more steering and we just collided a bit and we spun.
"I think he was already ahead of me so if you are already ahead of me, don't risk closing on me, especially when we both braked so late.
"He was already pretty much ahead so we just started to turn, I ran out of steering lock and we collided."
Ocon added that he felt his race was "ruined" well before his contact with Sainz, having picked up a puncture following contact with Felipe Massa on the first lap.
Having squeezed between Massa and teammate Sergio Perez through Turn 2, Ocon tried to avoid Perez and in consequence hit the Williams driver, picking up a puncture that forced him to pit from seventh.
"It was a disastrous race, let's say," said Ocon. "I mean after the contact I had to avoid in Turn 1, where I got a puncture.
"That ruins my race, I managed to keep on that tyre until the end but when I tried to overtake Sainz he crashed into me. Not much I could do there."
"But I think, anyway, it started with the first thing at the start. We have to review that and I'm not happy."
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