🏎What was Ocon playing at in Brazil?

The dust has settled on the Brazilian Grand Prix, but the remonstrations (see Villeneuve, Jacques) and conspiracy theories (see Marko, Dr Helmut) will take some time to settle down over the Max Verstappen/Esteban Ocon collision. I see it as a perfect storm of events: Ocon was on fresh tyres, and lapping faster than leader Verstappen, and he’s allowed to unlap himself. Secondly, there’s history between them – they clashed on multiple occasions in F3, so no love lost between them. And, finally, there’s the awkward subject of Ocon’s affiliation to Mercedes, who got to celebrate a well-earned fifth constructors’ title with a race win. My 10 cents’ worth on this subject is that I found it odd that an experienced racer like Ocon, with a huge tyre and straight-line advantage, risked unlapping himself by racing wheel-to-wheel into an apex with the race leader – especially not for position. With a DRS zone imminent, surely a clean run through the Senna Esses would give him the perfect launch to draft past with zero risk and get on with his own race as he wanted to? Instead, it appeared as clumsy as Eliseo Salazar taking out Nelson Piquet at Hockenheim in 1982, Jean-Louis Schlesser clashing with Ayrton Senna at Monza in 1988 and (ironically) Jos Verstappen creaming into the back Juan Pablo Montoya at Interlagos in 2001. Maybe that’s why Esteban is banned from even racing his own teammate! Anyway, what a fantastically exciting race at a classic F1 venue. And congrats to Mercedes on another superb accolade that now rivals early-2000s Ferrari. Bravo. Charles Bradley, Global Editor in Chief [motorsport.com]( E D I T O R ' S C H O I C E [What made Ocon’s Verstappen move "unacceptable"]( FIA Formula 1 race director Charlie Whiting says Esteban Ocon was not wrong to try to unlap himself in the Brazilian Grand Prix but fighting Max Verstappen was "wholly unacceptable". A D A M C O O P E R [Villeneuve: Ocon an "embarrassment" for Verstappen clash]( Ex-Formula 1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has called Esteban Ocon an “embarrassment” after the Frenchman’s controversial collision with Max Verstappen in the Brazilian Grand Prix. E D D S T R A W [How one Mercedes driver handed another victory]( The idea that Esteban Ocon deliberately hit Max Verstappen so Lewis Hamilton could win is madness. But this was still a race in which Verstappen had done everything right, and made clear to Mercedes how big a future title threat he is. P R O M O T E D [For thousands of years Italy has been a country of design and beauty]( Giorgio Piola Timepieces are a reflection of this heritage. A D A M C O O P E R [Hamilton faced "imminent" engine failure in Brazil]( Mercedes believed that Lewis Hamilton's engine was about to fail early in the Brazilian Grand Prix before the world champion went on to win. E D D S T R A W [Brazilian Grand Prix driver ratings]( Several highly-rated drivers let themselves down in Brazil, in ways ranging from headline-grabbing shock clashes to some "pointless belligerence" in the midfield. A D A M C O O P E R [Why Senna punched Irvine]( Formula 1's most famous post-race scuffle between drivers took place at Suzuka in 1993, when F1 debutant Eddie Irvine enraged Ayrton Senna by unlapping himself. Here is the story from right in the middle of the post-race brawl that made headlines all over the world. M O T O R S P O R T J O B S . C O M [Scuderia Corsa is recruiting Race Team Members]( The Scuderia Corsa sports car racing team is accepting applications for all Race Team positions including all levels of engineers, mechanics, and truck drivers. Get the Motorsport PRIME app today! Because you deserve the best. Available on Copyright © 2018 Motorsport.com, Inc., All rights reserved. Top news of the week Our mailing address is: Motorsport.com, Inc. 5972 NE 4th AvenueMiami, FL 33137 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © MOTORSPORT NETWORK. All rights reserved.