Esteban Ocon has explained why he and Sergio Perez collided frequently when they were teammates at Force India in 2017–18. Ocon said he was young, inexperienced, and under pressure to prove himself against the more seasoned Perez, which led to several racing mistakes and close battles that sometimes ended in contact between their cars.
The pair’s clashes — including incidents in Baku and Spa where one car squeezed the other into the wall — cost the team valuable points. Looking back, Ocon admitted he made errors and raced aggressively in an effort to show his capabilities, but he also said some collisions weren’t entirely his fault.
He acknowledged that racing hard together also helped the team score strong results overall that season, and he said he still respects Perez now, even though he wishes some moments had unfolded differently.