Ocon excited to race at "legendary" Silverstone

Silverstone is one of the centrepieces of the F1 calendar, there is so much history, so much anticipation and often so much excitement on and off the circuit during the weekend.

Esteban Ocon is preparing for his second F1 race at Silverstone after returning to form in recent weeks, scoring points in three of the last four races. 

The Frenchman has had a more difficult season in F1 in 2018, retiring three times in the last six having only failed to reach the chequered flag once in his first 32 F1 races. 

He finished eighth at Silverstone last year and is hoping for a similar result this year and spoke about how he loves the Northamptonshire-based circuit.

 Ocon said: “The track itself is legendary. It’s a quick circuit with a lot of high-speed corners and it is a very challenging place where the driver can make the difference. I really enjoy driving there.” 

The circuit has been re-laid this year, so drivers will be expecting faster lap times. Lap records have been set at many tracks this year, including last week’s Austrian Grand Prix where Kimi Raikkonen broke the record, we could see fast times at Silverstone.

 Ocon continued: “This year the track has been resurfaced so this will be a new element with which everyone will need to deal. Overtaking at Silverstone is not easy. Turns five and six are probably the best opportunities.

“Maggots and Becketts are also great to drive and the straight immediately afterwards means you can get an overtaking chance if you’re quick through those corners.

“You also have to keep an eye on the weather, but this week it looks like it’s going to be very hot. I was actually hoping for some rain to mix things up a little!”