Silverstone race will be “a war”, says frustrated Ocon
Renault Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon expects his 70th Anniversary GP at Silverstone to be “a war” after he qualified out of position in a frustrated 14th place.

The Frenchman struggled to match the pace of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, and could manage only 11th place in Q2.
He was then bumped down to 14th by a three-place penalty for impeding fellow Mercedes protege George Russell in Q1, while Ricciardo will start from fifth position.
Ocon expects to have a fight to make up ground with a car that is potentially quicker than some of those ahead.
“For sure it’s going to be a war tomorrow,” he said after the session. “Where I will start, normally there are slower cars around there. We should have a better pace and make some moves like we did last week.
“Of course we are starting quite far off the points. We are going to try and get the most opportunity that we can, but it's not going to be easy, even though normally we should have the pace to get back into the points.
“On the penalty side it’s unfortunate what happened. I was on the out lap overtaking [Antonio] Giovinazzi, I was not aware that Russell was coming. I got the penalty and I think it was deserved, it ruined George’s lap. Not well managed from our side.”
Ocon indicated that there was a disparity in the performance of the two cars that Renault could not explain.
“There’s a lot of tests that we’ve done basically,” he said. “And we didn’t find the right thing to put on our car. There’s clearly a difference between the two cars.
“Obviously they are the same spec, and we’re looking to see what went wrong on mine, and what we could do better to close that gap down, and see where it comes from.
“On my side, I just couldn't get as quick in some corners as Daniel did. I think on his side there has been, what we are looking for, the good step from last week to this week. On our side we didn't improve as much as we are supposed to.
"We need to have a good review, but for sure we have already seen a few things that don't really stack up. I was quite a lot down on straight line speed. That is the first thing between the cars.
“There's been some differences that we need to find out about because clearly last week it was quite well managed for us both in terms of performance. This week we've missed out on our side.”
Read Also:
Renault sporting director Alan Permane said there was no need for the team to “panic” about Ocon’s lack of pace this weekend.
“I think he’s about three and a half tenths away from Daniel, which is a chunk,” said Permane. “But Daniel’s got a fresh power unit this weekend, so there’s a tenth there. So he’s two and a half tenths away.
“I don’t think there’s anything sinister there, it’s just that Daniel’s car was perfect, and Esteban’s wasn’t quite perfect. There’s nothing to panic about.”
"Of course we need to understand why, and he’s deeply frustrated about it. He needs to keep calm, it’s his first season with the team. If you’re two and half tenths away from Daniel Ricciardo, you’re doing OK, he obviously wants to be two and a half tenths in front of him, and rightly so.
Ricciardo targets Hulkenberg
Starting from fifth, Ricciardo hopes he can take the fight to third-starting Nico Hulkenberg, who impressed in qualifying for Racing Point but hasn't started a grand prix since Abu Dhabi 2019.
"Typically, I look at the guys around me," said Ricciardo. "I think Max is the unknown. Max you'd think will have a bit more race pace, but he's starting on the hard, which looks quite nice, but it might not work for him. He might be in his own little race.
"But I do feel that Nico can be a target. I think even on the fact alone that he hasn't done a race or race distance yet, so for him just to understand the car, and I don't know if there were fans here maybe someone would be lucky enough to catch his head in one of the high speed corners by about lap 20!
"He's obviously got the car under him, but I think he'll have a few other obstacles to face tomorrow, so that that could certainly bring him in the battle, and I think it will be a good one."

Previous article
McLaren drivers: 'Right decision to bring softer tyres'
Next article
Rivals set to probe Mercedes role in Racing Point saga at appeal

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | 70th Anniversary GP |
Author | Adam Cooper |
Silverstone race will be “a war”, says frustrated Ocon
Trending
How Do Drivers Stay Fit For F1 Grand Prix?
Ronnie Peterson and Jochen Rindt Tribute
#ThinkingForward with Juan Pablo Montoya
The 'new' F1 drivers who need to improve at Imola
After a pandemic-hit winter of seat-swapping, F1 kicked off its season with several new faces in town, other drivers adapting to new environments, and one making a much-anticipated comeback. Ben Anderson looks at who made the most of their opportunity and who needs to try harder…
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says Nigel Roebuck.
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Is Formula 1 as good as it has ever been now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle.
How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his teammate's F1 career climb
Kimi Raikkonen's emergence as a Formula 1 star in his rookie campaign remains one of the legendary storylines from 2001, but his exploits had an unwanted impact on his Sauber teammate's own prospects. Twenty years on from his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP, here's how Nick Heidfeld's career was chilled by the Iceman.
The nightmare timing that now hinders Mercedes
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix despite, for a change, not having the quickest car. But any hopes of developing its W12 to surpass Red Bull's RB16B in terms of outright speed could not have come at a worse time.