Force India Formula 1 driver Esteban Ocon has admitted he will be ‘more careful’ when battling team-mate Sergio Perez in the second half of 2017.
Ocon and Perez collided in Azerbaijan and both drivers picked up minor damage in Hungary when they made contact at Turn 1 on the opening lap.
“Yeah, probably I would be more careful,” the Frenchman told Autosport when asked if he would change his approach to racing Perez in the future.
“In any case, you don’t want to touch with another car. It’s because it’s the same team, you don’t take as much risk.
“That’s my view on it and I hope he takes it into account as well. The team said no contact. I’m respecting that and I hope he will in the future.”
Ocon insisted it was still a friendly rivalry, and it pushes him and the team forward.
“I think we are OK,” he said. “We’re professional drivers. I’m not going to go at him and punch him in the face.
“[The rivalry] is good. We push ourselves hard on track and that makes our performance go up.
“In the end, for the team it’s a good thing.
“We don’t have the fastest car all the time. It’s probably thanks to that [rivalry] that we are always there.”
Perez says the team will ‘move on’ from the Hungary incident, and no such talks like those held after Baku were necessary.
“The team spoke to him when he put me in the wall in Baku,” said Perez.
“After this one, the team hasn’t said anything because there is nothing to be said.
“We try to move on and try to do the best job as possible.”
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