After qualifying 15th at the F1 Canadian GP, Esteban Ocon managed to climb up to the 9th position after a daring one-stop strategy, provisionally earning two points for Haas on their 200th race in Formula 1, but he faced a stewards investigation after the race for erratic driving against Carlos Sainz at turn 2.
Ocon made it work with a bold one-stop strategy. He completed 57 of the 70 laps on a single set of hard tyres. The race took place in unusually hot conditions, where most drivers struggled with graining and high degradation. Ocon, however, managed to make the tyres last.
Speaking to Canal+, Ocon admitted that the choice of strategy was “a little crazy”, but it yielded the anticipated results, saying: “We always have to do something a little crazy to get into the points, but it was a smart move by the team to try something like that—a huge opening stint on hard tyres.
“Lap after lap, we were improving and going faster. The tyre wear started to disappear, as if I had a fresher tyre with each lap. I could have easily finished the race without stopping, but of course we had to come into the pits. It was great from the team to test that, and we finished in the points, so it was perfect. The start was intense, and it was tight all race long. I was the car right behind Norris during his crash, so I had to avoid the debris.”
Ocon was placed under investigation for allegedly driving erratically at the pit exit against Carlos Sainz. After reviewing the footage, the stewards ruled that no further action needed to be taken.
It means Esteban Ocon keeps 9th position, with Carlos Sainz charging through to 10th on Sunday afternoon in Montreal after his Q1 exit.
