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Force India pair happy with points in Austria

18:15, 01 Jul 2018

byJake Williams-Smith

A double-points finish for Force India was a welcome result after Sergio Perez started 15th and Esteban Ocon 11th. The team had been struggling somewhat at the Red Bull Ring but scoring vital points where others couldn't capitalise could prove crucial for the team.

After the race, Ocon described the result as "a very good day for the team."

“I’m happy with this result and it’s a very good day for the team. We can be really pleased with our performance today.

"We managed our tyres well and made the one-stop race work when others around us were struggling. We kept our tyres going until the end and we also showed great teamwork with Checo as we swapped places to chase Magnussen.

"I think we showed where this team is strong. Hopefully, the next updates will keep bringing performance to the car and we can keep the momentum going. The championship battle in the midfield is going to be very close until the end of the season and we need to keep pushing.”

Perez echoed his teammate's sentiments in the Force India race report.

“It’s been a really positive day for the team. We have come away with important points from a weekend that was quite challenging in the lead up to the race. Starting from P15 on the grid and finishing seventh is a great effort and we should be proud of this achievement.

"Yes, there were some cars that retired ahead of us, but we raced well and made our strategy work so that we could take advantage of these opportunities."

The result means that Force India stay within touching distance of their midfield rivals, they currently find themselves in seventh place in the constructor standings, just 7 points away from Haas in fifth.

The team admitted earlier in the week that their previous heroics finishing best of the rest behind the big teams might not be achievable this season, with Renault and Haas making significant gains in 2018.