That’s fourth for Force India

Force India will finish this year’s championship fourth in the Constructors’ standings after a strong double points-haul in Mexico.

Esteban Ocon was running as high as third but was leapfrogged by Kimi Raikkonen in the pits before falling to charging Sebastian Vettel.

Despite coming under pressure from Lance Stroll, he held on to finish fifth.

With 175 points on the board, Force India are officially fourth in the Constructors’ Championship for the second year running.

“It’s a great day for the team. Fifth place in the race and securing fourth place in the championship is a fantastic achievement after a strong season,” Ocon said.

“For a while I believed the podium was possible because I was sitting in third place for so long.

“I made a great start and then I pushed as hard as I could in the free air.

“Sadly the Virtual Safety Car gave Kimi an advantage during the pit stops and he was able to overtake us.

“The final few laps of the race with [Lance] Stroll behind me were not easy. He had fresher tyres and managed to catch me, so I had to give it everything to stay ahead.

“When you work so hard for a result it feels very satisfying so I look forward to celebrating.”

As for Perez, the Mexican racer finished seventh at his home event.

“The main objective of the weekend was to confirm fourth place in the championship so I’m extremely happy that we have done this with two races to spare,” he said.

“It’s been another special weekend with so much support from the fans and I have to say a huge thank you to all of them for the energy they have given me.”