Force India's
Esteban Ocon has said that his team shouldn't be worried that a clash between him and his teammate
Sergio Perez will happen again in 2018.
The 21-year-old had a season full of drama in 2017, clashing on and off the track with Perez on multiple occasions, resulting in the team having to set boundaries in the middle of the season.
"There was a time where we got too close," admits Ocon, "but that's over now. There shouldn't be any worries that this will continue. I don't want it to happen again."
The pair are very well-matched on the track and are both very ambitious, and they will still be one of the more competitive line-ups in the F1 next season, whether there's friction or not.
Force India COO Otmar Szafnauer adds that the two will no longer be driving under the restrictions they'd been given for a big part of last season.
"We're going to start the season the way we left it in 2017," he said. "They were allowed to compete again the last few races, and this year they can go at it again."
"In a team there's always a conflict stage. When you pass that stage, you work better as a team, and I think that's where they're at now."
"We'll never go on a holiday together," Ocon added, "but there's no problem between us. There's a great atmosphere within the team, everyone works closely together, including me and Sergio."