Esteban Ocon lamented his team’s decision to use the hard tyres – and stick with them – as he struggled to 15th in Austin.

With three laps to go Ocon was passed by Alexander Albon who also started the race on the hard tyres, but unlike the Haas driver got rid of them during a Virtual Safety Car period early in the race and switched to a two-stop strategy.

“What are you doing to me, guys, honestly?” asked Ocon after he took the chequered flag behind his rival.

Formula 1’s official tyre supplier Pirelli made an unusual selection for its hard tyre in Austin, picking a compound which was two ‘steps’ harder than the medium. Ocon was the highest-placed hard tyre runner on the grid, with only Albon and Isack Hadjar behind him also running the hard tyres.

While Albon got rid of his hard tyres early on, Hadjar ran his even longer than Ocon did. But after the race Hadjar’s engineer Pierre Hamelin admitted they had given him the strategy to help his team mate, telling him: “we left you out […] for the good of the team.”

Ocon warned his race engineer Laura Mueller soon after the start that he was struggling on the hard rubber:

Lap: 4/56 OCO: 1’41.861
Mueller Both cars behind you on hard.
Ocon Are they struggling also?
Mueller Confirm, Ollie is struggling too.
Ocon No, I mean the tyres
Lap: 5/56 OCO: 1’43.099
Mueller Okay, Ollie is struggling, but we don’t know if it’s the tyres. Left-hand toggle for eight.

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The Virtual Safety Car was deployed after Carlos Sainz Jnr and Andrea Kimi Antonelli collided. While Williams were quick to bring Albon in, Haas left Ocon out, telling him they weren’t sure whether taking him off the hard tyres was the best thing to do:

Lap: 6/56 OCO: 2’12.009
Mueller First strike, track limits turn 12.
Mueller Sainz has a puncture. 50 laps to go.
Lap: 7/56 OCO: 2’12.009
Mueller VSC, VSC. So mode slow, stay positive on Delta, and stay out. How much are you struggling on these tyres?
Ocon Turn 12
If you look around, me, Hadjar, Albon, we are nowhere.
Mueller Yeah, understood.
Mueller Turn 16
Okay Esteban so we’re talking and double yellow 19 Sainz is stopped left-hand side after 19.
Ocon passes the pit lane entrance
Lap: 8/56 OCO: 2’08.355
Mueller 49 laps to go and Albon pitted.
Ocon Let me know what tyre.
Mueller He’s going on medium. The track is clear, still VSC.
Mueller We don’t know enough about the tyres yet to make a decision and Albon probably boxed because he had damage.
Mueller Turn 15
VSC ending, VSC ending.

Ocon told his team to keep him updated regarding Albon’s pace after switching to the medium rubber. The Williams driver was soon lapping significantly quicker:

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Lap: 9/56 OCO: 1’40.485
Mueller If possible, you can push more sector one.
Lap: 10/56 OCO: 1’40.975
Mueller 47 laps to go.
Ocon If Albon is suddenly flying, let me know.
Lap: 11/56 OCO: 1’41.259
Mueller Albon is doing 39-high but he’s in free air.
Ocon I’m also in free air.
Lap: 12/56 OCO: 1’41.685
Mueller Okay Esteban so no management, try to really push these tyres.
Lap: 13/56 OCO: 1’41.956
Mueller So Esteban we’re happy with your lap times, 44 laps to go.

As Albon caught Ocon, Haas brought him in to ‘undercut’ the Williams. They put him onto soft tyres instead of mediums, meaning he now faced the longest soft tyre stint of any driver.

Lap: 21/56 OCO: 1’41.428
Mueller Car behind Hadjar, same old hards, 36 laps to go.
Ocon Antonelli overtakes him at turn 12
And Albon?
Mueller Albon has high deg.
Lap: 22/56 OCO: 1’41.470
Mueller Turn four and five were very good last lap.
Mueller Albon overtakes Hadjar
Car behind Albon, 14-lap mediums.
Lap: 23/56 OCO: 1’41.276
Mueller 34 laps to go.
Lap: 24/56 OCO: 1’42.213
Mueller Okay, Albon’s starting to push more, before he was doing 41.4.
Ocon Albon has gapped 12 seconds on the medium, so…
Mueller Let me know if you think you have more pace on a medium. Albon has DRS.
Mueller Okay Esteban, what do you think about balance?
Ocon We need to add.
Mueller Turn 19
Copy and…
Ocon But we… [unclear, talking over each other]
Mueller …box now. Box now.
Ocon pits

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Ocon’s tyres faded over his final stint and he couldn’t prevent Antonelli and Albon passing him. He took the chequered flag a dejected 15th:

Lap: 56/56 OCO: 1’39.687
Mueller This is the final lap.
Chequered flag
Mueller Okay, that’s the chequered flag. You’re P15. Ollie was P9, and remember your in-lap procedure.
Ocon What are you doing to me, guys, honestly?
Mueller Yeah, sorry, we got it wrong with the hard, but the rest of the race would have been okay.
Mueller Okay Esteban when you stop, go to P1, wait a few seconds and go to P0.

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