Formula 1India In F1
Sahara Force India to mount challenge from P9, Hulkenberg and P10, Perez
Qualifying for the German Grand Prix saw both Sahara Force Indias finish inside the top ten with Nico Hulkenberg ending the session in ninth just ahead of Sergio Perez in tenth.
P9 Nico Hulkenberg VJM07-04
Q1: 1:18.927
Q2: 1:18.017
Q3: 1:18.014
Nico: “I’m feeling fairly happy and satisfied with ninth place and it’s pretty much where we expected to be. This weekend our pace over a single lap has not been the best, but making the top ten gives us a good track position and the chance to make the most of our long-run pace, which has looked promising. I think tomorrow will be a tricky race because of the heat and getting the tyre management right will be very important. The hotter races have suited us so far this season so we expect that to be the same tomorrow. Points with both cars has to be the goal.”
P10 Sergio Perez VJM07-02
P10 Sergio Perez VJM07-02
Q1: 1:18.916
Q2: 1:18.161
Q3: 1:18.035
Sergio: “I am very happy we made it to Q3 because the crew did an amazing job to get the car ready after a small issue in Q2. We couldn’t finish our first run on new option tyres, which made things difficult because you lose all track references and the track was changing very quickly with the wind and high temperatures. So we only had one shot to make the top ten and we made it with a great lap. I think ninth and tenth in Q3 is a fair result for today, but I expect us to be stronger in the race tomorrow, especially if the weather stays dry. It will be a race where you will have to manage your tyres very well and I’m feeling confident that we can come away with a good result.”
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Making the top ten with both cars was the target and the whole team should feel satisfied with our performance. With both cars starting from the fifth row, we are already well placed and our race pace should allow us to take a strong fight to the cars ahead of us. The hot weather has normally suited us this year so I think we can feel quite relaxed about our performance if the hot weather continues. We have a good understanding of the tyres based on the work we did on Friday and if we can make the right strategy calls tomorrow we can come away with a good helping of points.”
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