Esteban Ocon expected more in his DTM debut
Esteban Ocon became the only new name in the2016 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters season, after Mercedes AMG hired the Frenchman to replace reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein. Ocon had high expectations for his first weekend in the series, feeling disappointed after evaluating how things went.
The Frenchman from Team ART qualified in 12th place yesterday, right behind his team-mate Gary Paffett, and being the fifth driver for Mercedes AMG. Ocon had to retire from the race.
On Sunday, Ocon shone again in qualifying, finishing in seventh place and being the fourth driver for the Stuttgart outfit, but his race was over after two corners with the first lap incident.
“I’m not happy at all,” the Frenchman said to TouringCarTimes. “For sure, my pace was good, and I was able to be quick. But my target is to fight to be at the front, because those are the results I’m used to and that is where I want to be. My expectation is to be regularly in the podium and fight for victories.”
“Today I did well in qualifying, but was pushed by Da Costa from behind, and there was nothing I could do. It was a shame to end the race there. Bruno [Spengler] was angry at first, but then came to apologize, so we are cool” sentenced Ocon.
The Mercedes rookie has been assigned to Team ART, with Gary Paffett, Mercedes AMG’s longest serving active driver in the DTM, as team-mate. Asked about what it’s like to work with the Briton, Ocon said: “I’m very happy to have Gary as my team-mate. He is very experienced and has a lot of knowledge, and he has been very good and helpful to me. Also the team is very good, they work hard and I’m pleased to be with them.”
Next round of the DTM takes place at the Red Bull Ring, from 20th to 22nd of May.
