“The confidence is not yet there because it is only race two, and with the swing of performance from the bottom to now the top of the midfield, we need to stay on top of what we are doing, focus on ourselves, optimise what we have. I know there is more performance to unlock from the car and that is great to see.”
While Ocon went with the crowd with his strategy, Bearman went the opposite way – starting on the hard tyre before switching to the faster, but less durable, medium option for the closing stages. This matched Aston Martin’s plan for Lance Stroll, with the two battling before their stops, although Stroll failed to match Bearman’s late pace.
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“It was a really good day,” said Bearman. “I’m super-happy with the result. I did not expect to score points today but the car was fantastic. Everything I was doing worked and that’s always a nice feeling. I just had the groove and some points to show for it.
“It was lovely – really, really nice and something I felt I could fight with. I’m so happy with that. The team have done a great job. The turnaround from yesterday where we struggled a lot in the Sprint race – I’m really proud of them and a huge credit to them.”
