The Madrid illusion
In the last Spanish GP, held on the new Madrid track, Esteban Ocon came really close to what is the main goal of Haas since the last edition of the Monte Carlo GP: returning to the points zone. It was Ocon himself, with his 9th place, who had brought the American team into the top 10 in the Principality, and all the conditions were there to bring the VF-26 to tenth place at Madring.
What went wrong
Starting 13th, the Frenchman managed to gain two positions at the start, then moved up to 10th following Hamilton’s retirement. However, following the Virtual Safety Car for another technical KO of Stroll’s car, the Haas driver was unable to catch up to Hülkenberg after the pit stop, thus finishing 11th: “We are disappointed because we deserve much more; today we deserved to score points. The plan was to overtake both Audis at the start – which we managed – and we knew it would be difficult to keep them behind, but we did until the pit stop. During the stop we lost the position, so we need to analyze what I could have done better: if I could have stopped in a more advantageous position or something else. I thought the pit stop was good, but obviously theirs was better. We gave our best on track and I am proud of everyone: we went from being eliminated in Q1 to fighting for points; it is a positive and encouraging sign for the next races.”
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The chances of making the top 10 were instead remote for Oliver Bearman, who started from the pit lane due to the replacement of new Power Unit components: “Unfortunately the VSC came at the wrong moment and I didn’t gain any advantage – commented the Englishman, 16th – it was a difficult weekend, but the fault is only mine. However, there is a positive aspect: this weekend taught me a lot, perhaps more than a smooth and trouble-free weekend would have; I learned a lot from yesterday and I won’t repeat that mistake. The car was competitive: when I had a clear track, my pace was on par with our rivals; it was a pity, though, to have rarely had a clear track due to traffic. This gives me good prospects for Baku: now we can turn the page, reset everything and come back stronger.”
