Force India keeps eyes on the prize after Austin heartache

©WRI

Force India arrives in Mexico City determined to get back on track this weekend after suffering post-race heartbreak following Sunday's United States Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon finished the race in eighth place but was subsequently excluded from the results for exceeding the allowed fuel mass flow during lap 1.

Team principal Otmar Szafnauer said it was time to put that disappointment behind them and keep their eyes firmly on the prize of taking sixth place in the constructors' battle.

Despite being striped of their points from the first dozen races of 2018 as a result of their summer takeover by the Racing Point consortium, Force India is back to within just 11 points of McLaren in the current standings.

"Things didn’t go our way in Austin last Sunday for various reasons, but I think we can be more competitive in Mexico," he insisted.

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"With just three races to go it’s important we keep picking up points as we try to chase down sixth place in the championship.

"It’s never easy in the middle of the grid and the pace of the teams around us is pretty similar, which means we need to deliver a perfect weekend to come out on top.

"Aside from the racing, the Mexico race always feels extra special for everybody in the team," he pointed out, thanks to it being Sergio Perez' home race. "There’s huge attention on Checo."

Mexico might be far from home for Ocon, but the Frenchman still gets just as much of a kick from the weekend as his team mate.

"The Mexico weekend is good fun," he said. "It’s Checo’s home race so the whole team is busy from the moment we land!

“The atmosphere when you get to the track is special. Mexicans love sport and the passion they show for Formula 1 is incredible.

"The best part is to drive in the stadium section when the grandstands are full. I think all the drivers enjoy the buzz and emotions you get from such a massive crowd."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.