Perez denies he was ordered to let Ocon through

Sergio Perez has denied that he was ordered to let Esteban Ocon through to attack Daniel Ricciardo in the closing stages of the Canadian Grand Prix. Ocon, who was on much fresher tyres compared to teammate Perez and Ricciardo, was in the hunt for his first podium finish.

There was an intense discussion over the Force India radio as Ocon believed he had a better chance of getting by Ricciardo than Perez. Perez, however, didn't budge and went on to finish ahead of his teammate, which became a hot topic of discussion post-race: "It was not a team order, but a discussion on the radio," the Mexican said. "I told the team my arguments, and they accepted them."

Deputy boss Bob Fernley also said the controversy is a sign of the Silverstone based team's growing status: "Suddenly we're having problems that only the top teams have," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "We are being observed more closely."

Last season, Force India had to choose between Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon for the 2017 seat, and sporting boss Otmar Szafnauer thinks that Ocon's recent performances show they made the right choice.

"We gave Esteban half a year to acclimatise, and before the first half of the season he is closer and closer to Sergio," he said. "It shows that we have chosen the right driver."

Fergal Walsh