Esteban Ocon is targeting another points finish at Sepang as Formula 1 returns to the Malaysian circuit for the first time in almost a decade, with Haas arriving on the back of a double points result in Baku. The Frenchman was already on the grid when Formula 1 last raced at Sepang in 2017 and finished that event inside the top 10.
While Esteban Ocon therefore has previous race experience at the Malaysian venue, Haas team-mate Oliver Bearman faces an entirely different challenge. The British driver has never raced at Sepang in any category and had not even visited Malaysia before travelling there following the Azerbaijan weekend.
Esteban Ocon targets another Sepang points finish
The 2017 event, which was officially held as the Malaysian Grand Prix, was the last Formula 1 World Championship race staged at Sepang. Haas has never scored a point at the Kuala Lumpur circuit, but Esteban Ocon did finish inside the top 10 on his last appearance there while racing for Force India.
Now the Frenchman is determined to carry the momentum from Baku into Sepang after both Haas drivers finished in the points in Azerbaijan.
“It’s great to have left Baku with a double points finish for the team; it was a very good result for everyone. The aim will be to maintain this momentum over the weekend and, of course, for the rest of the season,” Esteban Ocon said.
“It’s nice to return to racing at the Sepang International Circuit, a classic track in our sport that has often provided great excitement. We know it will be hot, but the weather in Malaysia is generally unpredictable, which could create an interesting opportunity for us.”
Esteban Ocon is also among the relatively small group of current Formula 1 drivers who already know what it is like to race at Sepang.
“I’m one of the ten drivers on the current grid who raced at Sepang in 2017, so it will be interesting to return there after almost ten years, especially with the current technical regulations. I scored points back then, so we’ll try to repeat that achievement this weekend.”
Oliver Bearman prepares for completely new Sepang experience
For Oliver Bearman, the next Grand Prix represents a unique challenge not only in Formula 1 but across his entire racing career. The Haas driver has never competed at the Sepang International Circuit before.
Bearman travelled directly to Malaysia following the Baku race, taking the opportunity to familiarise himself with the country before his first weekend on the circuit.
“I’ve never raced at the Sepang International Circuit and I’d never even been to Malaysia; so, straight after Saturday’s race – very happy with the result we achieved in Baku – I got on a plane so that I would have time to discover what the country has to offer: it’s a beautiful place,” Oliver Bearman said.
The British driver expects Sepang’s fast and flowing configuration to place a premium on rhythm, while Malaysia’s heat and unpredictable weather will add another physical and strategic challenge.
“Sepang is a fast and flowing circuit, where the key is finding the right rhythm and allowing the car to flow from one section to the next. I think the weather conditions are very similar to Singapore, with humidity and sudden downpours: so what better way to prepare for one of the most physically demanding races of the season than by facing another week of intense heat!”
Haas arrives at Sepang with momentum from Baku
The contrasting experience levels of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman add another dimension to Haas’s return to Sepang. Ocon can draw on memories from Formula 1’s previous visit to Malaysia, even though the cars and technical regulations have changed substantially since 2017, while Bearman must learn the circuit from scratch in real-world conditions.
For Haas, the objective is clear after both drivers scored in Azerbaijan: maintain that positive momentum and try to convert it into another competitive weekend at a circuit Formula 1 has not visited for almost ten years.
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