Following an incident in Free Practice 3 on Saturday Morning, Esteban was unable to take part in Qualifying - relegating him to starting from the back of the grid for the maiden Miami Grand Prix.
Esteban drove a long and patient opening stint on Hard compound tyres - relying in hope of a late Safety Car. This strategy paid off, as a late collision between Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris on lap 40, triggered a Safety Car period where Esteban was able to benefit from to pit for fresh tyres without impacting track position.
The Frenchman again had to show patience in the closing stages and with Mick Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel colliding late on, allowing Esteban to vault up to ninth at the chequered flag, just behind teammate Fernando Alonso.
This soon became P8, as Fernando received a post-race penalty, rounding off a fantastic effort by Esteban to progress twelve positions during the Miami Grand Prix.
Esteban Ocon, (Started P20, Finished P8):
“What a race! A big thank you to the team for all the hard work overnight putting back together what was a pretty broken car after that big shunt in practice on Saturday. They are the real stars this weekend.
For me, it feels great to come away with points after starting from the back of the grid and I’m definitely leaving happy after such a tough day yesterday. The car and the strategy were great, it was a well-managed race and we’re capping off an exhilarating first race weekend in Miami in style.
Now we need to keep that momentum as we head back to Europe for the next round.”
The European leg of the season now starts, as Formula One heads to the Circuit de Catalunya for the Spanish Grand Prix in a fortnights time.
