Esteban Ocon revelled in his sixth place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix as he bounced back from successive retirements at the previous two events.
Ocon arrived in Monaco having scored just a single point in 2018, with his prospects hampered by a clash with Kimi Raikkonen in Azerbaijan and an oil leak in Spain.
Ocon qualified as the lead midfield driver in sixth place and converted his position through to the conclusion of the 78-lap race, as he boosted his points tally to move up the standings.
“A fantastic result,” said Ocon. "I’m really happy and it was great fun. The pace we had was impressive and the team did a fantastic job with the strategy.
![Isack Hadjar [pictured] has deferred to Max Verstappen for Day 2 of the F1 pre-season test. Image: Red Bull Content Pool](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Isack-Hadjar-Red-Bull-test-2026-120x86.webp)
“We had a great understanding of the tyres and there were times during the race when we were the fastest car on the track.
“In the final few laps I was catching [Valtteri] Bottas and [Kimi] Raikkonen by over a second per lap and I was right behind them at the end.
"It feels great to get this result and a good bunch of points after a few disappointing races. I hope we can have many more weekends like this one.”
The result marked Ocon’s best finish since last year’s Mexican Grand Prix, as Force India held sixth position in the Constructors’ Championship.
The Silverstone-based operation has amassed 26 points, leaving it 14 behind McLaren and seven clear of Toro Rosso.
![Isack Hadjar [pictured] has deferred to Max Verstappen for Day 2 of the F1 pre-season test. Image: Red Bull Content Pool](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Isack-Hadjar-Red-Bull-test-2026-350x250.webp)
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