Esteban Ocon is hoping to secure "big points" with a podium finish in the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday after a strong qualifying result which sees the Frenchman line up third alongside Valtteri Bottas.
Ocon was fifth quickest during a rain-delayed qualifying session, but will be promoted to third thanks to penalties for Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, meaning the Force India man lines up behind Lewis Hamilton and Lance Stroll.
Following the disappointment of Spa, where he and team-mate Sergio Perez clashed, losing out on a big points haul, Ocon is hopeful of repaying the team with their first podium of the season.
"A great qualifying session," he said. "I’m really happy for everybody in the team.
"We knew there was an opportunity for us this afternoon and I’m so pleased we could take it. I always enjoy driving in the wet and the conditions today were really challenging.
"The car felt great; there was a really nice balance and I have to say a big thank you to the team for all their hard work. We will need to fight hard tomorrow because there are quick cars all around us, but I believe we can score some really big points and I’ll be aiming for the podium."
Perez, who starts ninth after qualifying 11th after missing out on a Q3 spot by just 0.002 seconds, blamed a combination of small errors and difficult conditions for his position.
"In Q2, we took the decision to change from wets to inters and I only had two laps to try and make it happen. In the end, I missed out by two thousandths; it’s not ideal, but it was the best we could do today.," added the Mexican.
"It was not a perfect lap – I went a bit too wide at Ascari and I got very close to Ricciardo ahead of me, and that compromised me a little. These small margins were enough to miss out on the top ten.
"We’ll be moving up on the grid with a few penalties and I hope to make up some more positions tomorrow."
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