As the silver Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton filled his mirrors through the spray and gloom at Suzuka, Esteban Ocon knew he had a fight on his hands. From far back, the seven-time world champion would appear on the inside line at the hairpin, trying to spook Ocon into a mistake. The younger man neatly dodged the attack, making a wider line work to cut Hamilton off at the exit, only to face another assault moments later at the Spoon – where he again held his nerve and left the draggy Mercedes trailing.
This dance continued for lap after lap as Ocon stubbornly kept Hamilton at bay until the chequered flag. It may have only been for fourth, and it was relatively brief owing to the circumstance of the race – a 40-minute sprint following a rain-induced hiatus – yet it was a deeply impressive display from a driver who is standing out in Formula 1’s congested midfield.
It’s warmer and drier in Austin when sits down with Ocon but, while enough time has passed for the initial post-race buzz to pass and for him to put the weekend in perspective, he’s still delighted to be complimented on his achievement and declares it “probably one of the best” performances of his F1 career – a list which
