Ocon aiming to build speed with Force India car in China

Esteban Ocon heads into this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix looking to build up his speed with the Force India VJM10 car despite putting in a star performance en route to his first Formula 1 point in Australia.

Ocon joined Force India for 2017 after spending half a season with Manor last year, and made an immediate impact by winning a race-long battle against Fernando Alonso and Nico Hulkenberg in Melbourne two weeks ago. The result completed a double-points finish for Force India as Sergio Perez crossed the line seventh.

The display won Ocon the plaudits of Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff, with the French driver being a member of the German marque's junior programme.

Not one to stand still, Ocon has set his sights on bigger and better things in China as he continues to get to grips with the new car.

"My first race weekend with Sahara Force India was a great experience. It was a very busy week and I had to learn a huge amount and get up to speed quickly," Ocon said.

"In Melbourne I said that I am on a big learning curve and the same will be true in China. I still need to build my speed with the VJM10. It's about exploring the limits of the car and understanding how to manage the tyres during qualifying and the race. What we learned in Melbourne will certainly make things a bit easier this weekend, but you never stop learning in this sport.

"I was happy to score my first point in Australia and it's a great way for the team to start the season, especially with a strong result for Sergio as well. It shows that we have a solid base on which we can build.

"I've settled in nicely to this team and I'm working well with my engineers and my car crew. It's important to feel comfortable and I like the way we do things. It's a very open atmosphere and the team understands what I need from the car."

Despite having not raced at the Shanghai International Circuit before, Ocon has set his sights on taking another points finish and continuing Force India's solid start to the season.

"I visited China last year but I've never driven at the Shanghai circuit, so it's going to be another new track for me to learn on Friday," Ocon said.

"After the street circuit of Melbourne, it will be nice to go to a track which is the complete opposite with lots of open space. I think the car should be more suited to Shanghai, but it's hard to know until we get there and drive. The goal, once again, is to score some points."

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