Esteban Ocon will have what it takes to fill the gap left by Nico Hulkenberg at Force India says his new teammate Sergio Perez.
Stepping into the German’s shoes won’t be easy. Hulkenberg finished ninth in the championship this season, with a best result of fourth, and helped push the Mexican, who went on to finish seventh. As for Ocon, he is yet to score a points finish in his relatively short Formula One career.
But Perez, who was hoping for a strong teammate to continue to push him forward, thinks the French teen will be a fitting replacement.
“I think Nico is one of the best ones out there,” he told Crash.net. “It was very difficult to beat him this year and last year… it has been very competitive between us and we push each other forward quite a lot. I learned a lot from him… I look forward to having similar levels of competitiveness to Esteban.”.
“I learned a lot from him and I look forward to having similar levels of competitiveness to Esteban.”
Ocon joins the team having competed in nine races, making his race debut at the Belgian Grand Prix for Manor. While Force India are hoping to build on their best year in F1 to date after finishing fourth in the Constructors’ championship.
Earlier in the year, it was Pascal Wehrlein who was thought to be Mercedes’ top rising star, and Ocon’s promotion to Force India ahead of his Manor teammate came as a shock to some. But Perez believes Ocon will prove doubters wrong next season.
“The team went for the best possible driver that they could get,” he claimed. “Everyone is happy to have Estaban for next year so let’s hope we can deliver many points to the team.”
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