While Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen took the plaudits at the Brazilian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon’s performance at Interlagos shouldn’t be overlooked.
OK, the Manor driver ended the race 12th of 16 finishers, but it was the impression made rather the final result that was the big story from Sao Paulo.
In the week, the Frenchman had been confirmed as Sergio Perez’s new teammate at Force India for 2017, a decision questioned by some as it moves him ahead of Pascal Wehrlein in the race for a future Mercedes seat.
You might expect, therefore, the 20-year-old to feel a little more pressure than before to justify the faith shown.
If there was any more weight on his shoulders it certainly wasn’t visible, however, as Ocon went to a circuit that is notoriously difficult to master and, in a word, bossed it.
It wasn’t so good in qualifying as Wehrlein came out on top. Esteban was then shifted to the back of the grid for blocking Jolyon Palmer.
But within a few laps of the race getting underway on Sunday – driving an F1 car in the wet for the first time – he was ahead of his teammate and, thanks to plenty of pit stops, running inside the top 10.
The GP3 champion would improve to eighth and start there for the final run to the finish following the last Safety Car.
Unfortunately, the pace of his Manor meant he was fighting a rear guard to the end, though, as the two Red Bull’s passed, his defence was well-noted particularly against Ricciardo.
It also seemed he might have a chance to challenge Felipe Nasr, with whom Manor are battling for the wooden spoon in the Constructors’ championship, but the Brazilian had too much pace as he maintained ninth place.
So while the result may not have been as good as hoped, it still didn’t go un-noticed by his current and soon-to-be new employers.
“We’re very encouraged by what we saw from Esteban on Sunday,” Force India’s deputy team boss Bob Fernley told Autosport. “He had a very, very good drive for Manor.
“We were aware of his talent, we were comfortable with the decision, so we didn’t need to see a race like that.”
Indeed, such was the impression made, Fernley suggested his team need to make sure they provide the best environment for Ocon to continue his development.
“What we have got to do is make sure we can support him and get that talent to deliver.”
Manor’s racing direction Dave Ryan echoed the praise calling Ocon’s race a “super” performance, he was also gracious to Nasr’s own incredible effort.
“All credit to Nasr, he drove a really good race,” he said. “He was due one and Sunday was the day, unfortunately for us.
“Unfortunately they restarted the race at the end there and we just didn’t have the car to live with them.
“We did everything we could but it wasn’t enough in the end.”
Certainly for Ocon to have stepped it at Manor and shifted to F1 so seamlessly is a testament to the potential the young man has.
As a result, he can certainly be added to names like Max Verstappen, Lance Stroll and a few others (including Mick Schumacher), all coming through the ranks. The future of motorsport looks very bright indeed.
