Esteban Ocon has emphasised that “every point” will make a difference in this year’s Constructors' Championship due to the anticipated nature of the tightly-contested midfield.
Force India has finished fourth across the past two seasons in Formula 1 and has held a comfortable buffer back to its closest rival, in both cases Williams, allowing it a certain degree of leeway.
That gap in 2016 was 35 points, and grew to 104 last year, as Force India comfortably headed the remainder of the midfield contingent.
This year, though, Renault is expected to make gains as it continues on its quest to return to title contention in 2020, while McLaren has been tipped to improve after dumping Honda power for Renault.
Haas also caught the eye of many teams during pre-season testing, while Toro Rosso put in encouraging lap times and mileage.
Ocon therefore believes that the standings in the midfield group could be decided by just a handful of points come Abu Dhabi.
“We need to score every point we can because it’s going to be very tight at the end of the season and every point we score will make a difference,” he said.
“Our objective is to get to Q3 and score a good amount of points.
“Until we get to the track we won’t know where everyone stands, but I hope we’re in a good place.
“We do not underestimate anyone but we’re not scared of anyone. We know what we’re capable of.”
Last year marked the first time Ocon had raced in Australia and he reckons that experience will help his cause 12 months on.
“It’s good to be back in Melbourne a year after my Force India debut,” he commented.
“Having done it all before makes it easier because you know what’s going to happen and you can just focus on finding performance.
“We have a new upgrade package on the car and we’re confident it’s going to be an improvement.
“Testing was all about understanding which direction we had to take and from tomorrow we can find out where we stand.”
