Mallya considers Sutil for 2013

Force India team principal Vijay Mallya says he will consider Adrian Sutil as a race driver in 2013 if Nico Hulkenberg leaves for Sauber at the end of the year.

Hulkenberg is thought to have signed a deal with Sauber for next season, but neither team nor driver has confirmed the news. Mallya revealed to Reuters in India that Hulkenberg has been offered a contract by Force India, but said his team would not stand in the German's way if he wants to leave. 

"I offered an extension to both drivers," Mallya said. "I hear from the media that Nico has signed with Sauber. Well, if he has then good luck to him. 

"I have not been officially notified by Nico of anything. He hasn't sat down with me and told me that. I would expect that he would if he was on his way...I have an excellent relationship with him, he's a wonderful guy. He's done well for us." 

Mallya dropped a big hint that Sutil, who drove for the team for five years from 2007 to 2011, would be next in line if Hulkenberg goes to Sauber. 

"Never forget I always have the potential of considering Sutil again," he added. "Sutil is always quick. So there are many options. I would certainly consider him." 

Source: En.espnf1.com

India GP- Qualification ForceIndia Driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg (12th, Q2 - 1m 26.241s)
“We went into the session targeting and expecting to make Q3, so it’s a bit disappointing to miss out. After the first part of qualifying it was clear that it was going to be a big task, but obviously you always try and believe it is possible. My lap in Q2 was actually pretty good with no mistakes and that was just the maximum for us today. I guess that some other cars have picked up pace today and that’s why we are behind them. I still have confidence for the race because we have seen how close the times are today and we were not too far away from the top ten. The other good news is that we can pick our starting tyres for the race, so our focus tonight is to think hard about the strategy.”

Paul di Resta (16th, Q2 -1m 26.989s)
“It’s a big weekend for us but the performance we showed today is not really where we want to be. It has been a tricky couple of days and we’ve not been able to maximise the car we’ve got. The car balance was not ideal and I didn’t have the best lap during my final run in Q2 - there were a few small mistakes and I didn’t have the consistency or the confidence to really push. So there is a lot of work to do ahead of the race tomorrow and we need to look at things overnight to see where we can improve. It’s an important day for us and we need to try and recover some ground if we want to come home with points.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal and managing director
“We saw another very close session today, but ultimately we didn’t have the performance level to continue our run of top ten qualifying performances. We’ve been struggling to find the sweet spot on set-up and it seems that the tyres have played a much more significant role here. Their operating window on this track seems very narrow and we probably haven’t got the most from them. Even so, it’s only Saturday and tomorrow is what counts. There is a long race ahead and we can still turn things around and demonstrate our true potential. It’s our home Grand Prix and we want to deliver strong races with both cars to hopefully see both Sahara Force Indias inside the points come Sunday afternoon.”

Source: F1.com 

Friday practice - Force India driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg, P1 - 1:29.850, 14th; P2 - 1:27.233, 8th
“It was my first experience of the Buddh circuit today and I have to say they have done a really nice job. There’s a good flow to the lap and the second sector is very technical and challenging. The programme for me today was quite straightforward because we managed to do everything we wanted. I completed a decent long run on the soft tyres this afternoon and I think we are quite well prepared going into tomorrow.”

Paul di Resta, P2 - 1:29.760, 12th; P2 - 1:28.004, 11th
“It was not an easy session for me. The balance is still not perfect and we need to work hard tonight to try and improve that before final practice. The main issue of the day was the puncture I picked up half-way through FP2 because I missed out on my high-fuel run on the soft tyres. Also, it was hard to get a clean lap during my low fuel run because the track was so busy. We’ve got data with the other car but it would have been helpful to have run more laps and got a proper feel for the soft.”

Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“The circuit was quite green this morning with very low grip so that made it difficult to learn too much. The priority was to get Nico up to speed quickly and pick up some data on a few test items, which all went to plan. The afternoon was less straightforward, largely because Paul picked up a puncture after his low fuel run on the soft tyres. That meant he missed out on his long run. Fortunately we got all the data we needed with Nico’s programme, but it certainly put Paul on the back foot. In terms of car balance we still have some work to do to get the car where we want it, but we have the data we need to make sure we can pick the right options for tomorrow.”

Source: F1.com
 

Force India 'still hunting Sauber'

Force India still believes it has a chance of overhauling Sauber in the constructors' championship this year, as it targets a big points haul at its home race this weekend.

The Silverstone-based outfit is 27 points behind Sauber with four races remaining, so will need some top-line results if it is to beat its Swiss rivals.

Team principal Vijay Mallya said on Tuesday that his outfit would be fired up by racing in front of the Indian crowd, and reckoned there was still everything to play for in the constructors' battle.

"The gap to Sauber is now 27 points. It's a big lead, but not impossible to catch them before the end of the year," he said.
"There's still a lot of racing to go and we will keep the pressure up for the final four races."

Mallya believes the strength of his team this year has been its consistency, rather than starring performances, as he expressed delight at the way it had moved forward since the summer break.

"It certainly feels like we have upped our game since the summer break and it has been satisfying to see us up there fighting for good points," he said.
"The only frustration is that we have not always managed to get two cars in the points and that has hurt us in the championship.

"But in terms of outright performance, I think we can be pleased with our level of consistency. We've had at least one car in the top ten of qualifying in over 80 per cent of the races and scored points in 75 per cent of the races.

"While we may not have finished on the podium this year, it is our consistency that has been key to our success and kept us in the fight."

Source: Autosport.com

India preview quotes - Force India

Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 12th, 2011 Race - 13th
“It’s obviously our home Grand Prix and a special weekend. There’s pressure on us to perform and clearly we need to go there ready to keep the momentum going. It’s a busy week for everyone involved with the team and there’s a lot going on in terms of media work and extra events, but it won’t distract from our focus to come away with the best result we can.

“We’ve got to go there and qualify in the top ten. That will get us in contention and allow us to concentrate on the race. All year we’ve shown that we have a car capable of reaching Q3, but the grid is very close and we don’t have any margin so we need everything to come together perfectly. Also, based on our performance last year, we looked quite competitive at this track so you’ve got to hope that will carry over for this year.

“It’s one of those new-style Herman Tilke circuits so there’s a good mixture of corners, plenty of run-off and a few areas where overtaking is possible. We found last year that the grip built up quite quickly and the track was exciting to drive with some satisfying corners. I remember that tyre wear was quite high last year and I had to stop three times during the race, so understanding the tyres on Friday will be the priority.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“I was at the first Indian race last year, but obviously I didn’t get a chance to drive. I’ve been around the track in a road car and tried it on the simulator, but I still have a bit to learn on Friday. As a race it’s as big as they come for this team. We will be in Delhi at the start of the week to meet the local media and fans and they always show lots of enthusiasm for us. I hope that we will see their support at the track with lots of fans cheering us on.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“Last year’s race was already a tremendous success and I’m sure we can expect an equally spectacular event this year. Buddh International Circuit always looks after us very well and I know that they have been working hard behind the scenes to fine-tune the circuit and facilities even more. But above all else, the most important thing is the layout of the track because last year all the drivers loved it. It’s certainly one of the best tracks in the world.

“I remember how proud I felt last year to see our cars racing in India in the colours of the Indian flag. It was a moment I had dreamed about and a great sporting achievement for our country. To score points was the icing on the cake. This year I would like to go one better and see both our cars in the points - at the very least - so that we can give our fans something to smile about. The gap to Sauber is now 27 points. It’s a big lead, but not impossible to catch them before the end of the year. There’s still a lot of racing to go and we will keep the pressure up for the final four races.”

Source: F1.com 

Hulkenberg: Force India needs to push

Nico Hulkenberg says his Force India team cannot take it for granted that its recent run of good form will continue for the remainder of the season.

The German was one of the stars of the Korean Grand Prix - pulling off an audacious overtaking move on Lewis Hamilton and Romain Grosjean – to take a sixth place finish that moves him ahead of team-mate Paul di Resta in the standings.

But although Force India still has its sights on closing down the gap to Sauber in the constructors' championship, Hulkenberg thinks the team is going to need to push extra hard if it is going to carry on scoring well.

"The team is doing a good job, and I feel more comfortable in the job," said Hulkenberg, who is closing in on a deal to move to Sauber next year.

"We have nice rhythm and momentum, which is so important in F1 and it is running well. But two race weekends ago in Singapore I had a more rough weekend, so we need to make sure we get four more weekends like this one.

"And I certainly wouldn't expect it just like that. It will be hard work so we need to stretch ourselves to achieve it every single time now."

Source: Autosport.com

Korean GP - Force India driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg (6th)
“That race was a lot of fun and it’s great to get such a mega result. It wasn’t easy though, and for most of the race I had the Lotus of Romain (Grosjean) pushing me and some great battles. Even the first pit-stop was very close with Romain, but the team did a great stop because it was important to stay ahead at that stage. I think the best moment of the race was the fight with Lewis (Hamilton) and Romain in the final stint when I got ahead of both of them in turn four. They both went to the inside so I just saw the opportunity to use the outside line and made the move work. That certainly put a big smile on my face. So a very positive day, an amazing job by the whole team and lots of positives to take as we head to India for our home race.”

Paul di Resta (12th)
“A tough race in many ways and it’s fair to say that the result in qualifying hampered us quite badly. We expected the super soft to be a better race tyre and so we saved it for the second stint. As it happened, the soft tyres did not last long enough at the start of the race and when I switched to the super softs they started graining straight away. So we were not on the ideal strategy and that impacted the whole race, and after that I was always struggling with traffic and couldn’t make any progress. On the positive side the car seemed competitive here with the points for Nico, but it’s just a bit frustrating that we couldn’t maximise it.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“Another very strong day for us with Nico battling hard and showing the race pace we knew was possible. The race-long battle with Grosjean meant Nico was always under pressure, but he kept his nerve and came out on top. I think Nico’s move on Hamilton and Grosjean was outstanding and definitely the highlight of the race. With Paul we took a strategic decision to cover both Williams and Sauber potentially trying a one-stop race, but it soon became clear that two-stopping was the way to go. As a result Paul’s strategy was compromised and it was difficult for him to move up into the points. However, he battled hard with Perez in the closing stages to prevent Sauber picking up the final point. We leave Korea with eight important points; we’re closer to Sauber (27 points behind) and have good momentum heading into our home race in two weeks’ time.”

Source: F1.com 

KoreanGP Qualifying - Force India driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg (8th, Q3 - 1m 38.266s)
“It was not an easy qualifying session, but in the end everything went to plan. I did struggle in Q1 and Q2, and I’ve been fighting some understeer in the car all weekend, especially through the first sector. We never really managed to dial it out of the car, but it didn’t hurt us too much because I was able to pull together two good laps and that was enough to get me up to eighth. The times were very close and I think it will be the same tomorrow, but our long-run performance looks competitive so I think we can definitely race the people around us and come away with points.”

Paul di Resta (14th, Q2 -1m 38.643s)
“The car was capable of Q3 today but once again my lap in Q2 was compromised by traffic. There were some cars backing off in the last three corners and that cost me those crucial tenths I needed to make Q3. So I’m a little bit disappointed because I didn’t get the most from the session. We are out of position on the grid, but there’s still all to play for in the race because the car was very strong yesterday during the long runs and we can be confident going into the race.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“It was a wonderful effort by Nico to pull out some excellent laps and qualify in eighth, just edging ahead of the Mercedes pair. After practice we were still not sure where we stood, but we knew that we were in with a shout of making the top ten. Today’s result means that we have had at least one car in Q3 for the last ten races, which is a credit to the team’s hard work this year. On the other side of the garage it’s frustrating that Paul hit traffic at the crucial moment of qualifying. He had been up on Nico’s time in sectors one and two, and was just unlucky in the final part of the lap. As for the race tomorrow we are confident that we can deliver strong race pace and our target is to get both cars in the points.”

Source: F1.com

Korean GP: Di Resta expecting tough qualifying session

Force India's Paul di Resta believes it will be a struggle to make Q3 after Friday's practice session for the Korean Grand Prix.

However, the Scottish driver is positive that the team can be a much stronger force in the race after completing several longer runs.

"Obviously we have our targets and I think we had good balance today and Mercedes has moved up so if we want to get into Q3 then that is going to be difficult," said di Resta, 13th quickest today.

"I think we can improve quite a bit and I think we chose to concentrate on Sunday quite a bit anyway," he said.

"It is a tricky place to get the balance right and we are not particularly strong on one sector I would say but I think managing the compounds is the hard bit.

"With the temperature as it is obviously quite a bit cooler than we have run recently and obviously get an idea ahead of Sunday."

Di Resta's Force India team-mate Nico Hulkenberg echoed these feelings after only running in the second session.

"I think the long run was OK. I expected a lot more tyre degradation on the super soft but it seems to be quite stable but on the soft it wasn't the smoothest run.

"It [qualifying] will be tough like every Saturday but I think it [Q3] is possible and I am positive." he said.

Force India enters the race in seventh in the constructors' standings, trailing Sauber by 35 points.

Source: Autosport.com

Friday practice - Force India driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg, P2 - 1:39.739, 9th
“I’m feeling pretty happy with today. I didn’t drive here last year so I spent the first few laps getting to grips with the circuit again and finding my rhythm. We did our programme, completed all the tests and have all the tyre data to look at tonight. Balance-wise I’m feeling pretty comfortable in the car so we’re in a good position and ready for tomorrow.”

Paul di Resta, P2 - 1:40.440, 9th; P2 - 1:40.112, 13th
“It’s always difficult to judge too much from a Friday, but we got through our various programmes and got the data we needed for short and long runs. The long run pace looks quite competitive, but I don’t think my short run pace was representative because both my runs were compromised by traffic and I didn’t get a clean lap. I think we’ve got a reasonable idea of where we are, but there’s a lot of work to be done between now and final practice.”

Jules Bianchi, P1 - 1:41.140, 13th
“I got my first experience of the track today so the first few laps were not easy as I tried to get familiar with the track as quickly as possible. Before I came here I watched a lot of videos of the circuit, but it still takes a while to get up to speed. I enjoyed the session and the track is really nice to drive. It’s an interesting lap because there is a bit of everything: big stops, long straights, quick corners and slow sections. The car felt pretty good today and I tuned the set-up a bit more with each run.”

Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“After the issues we had in Japan last week, it was a relief to have a straightforward day of practice and get all the data we needed. The car is working well and the drivers are generally happy with the balance so I’d say we are not too far away from the sweet spot. Jules was in action this morning and did another excellent job. The track was quite dirty and he was driving here for the first time, but he steadily got on with things and evaluated some useful set-up options. The afternoon session showed that our long run pace looks encouraging and we’ve got a good feel for both the soft and super-soft tyres.”

Source: F1.com

Sahara Force India TV - Nico's guide to Korea

Sahara Force India TV - Nico's guide to Korea

Korean GP - Force India preview quotes

Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 9th, 2011 Race - 10th
“You never know until you get there and start running, but last year we had a good race and came away with some points. The first sector of the lap is mainly long straights linked by low-speed corners and those technical parts of the lap seem to suit us – as was the case in Singapore. Also, it’s just one of those tracks that I enjoy driving and I’m looking forward to getting the weekend underway.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“I enjoy visiting Korea and the track is fun to drive. I didn’t drive there last year during free practice, but I have some good memories from 2010 with Williams when I scored a point in the very wet race. I think we can go there and get a good result because it’s a track that’s a mixture of everything: low-speed, high-speed and straights. The final sector feels just like a street circuit and it’s quite technical with some challenging corners.”

Source: F1.com
 

Di Resta stymied by clutch issue

A clutch problem at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix cost Paul di Resta a chance of joining Force India team-mate Nico Hulkenberg in the points at 
 Suzuka. 

The Scot, who started ahead of Hulkenberg on the grid in 11th, finished the race 12th, having dropped to 15th on the first lap.

The German meanwhile moved up from 15th to finish seventh in the race.

"Something broke in the clutch drive on the beginning of the parade lap, and we had a bit of warning that had happened, so we arrived on the grid not really knowing what it was going to do," explained di Resta.

"Unfortunately going into the first corner as one of the last cars, I was a bit hesitant through all the crashes, but that was the right thing to do to keep it on the road.

"Really after that I was just stuck in traffic and I couldn't get clear in the first stint and I think there you lose a lot of time.

"From there on we probably weren't the quickest but we certainly if we had made more of an impact at the beginning, it probably would have seen us through the race and hopefully would have scored us points. A testing day."

Force India dropped to 35 points behind sixth-placed Sauber in the constructors' championship and di Resta called for the team to work on its reliability.

"Clearly, our reliability, we need to get our act together because it's just cost a little bit of points today I think," he said.

Source: Autosport.com

Hulkenberg: Seventh well deserved

Nico Hulkenberg labelled his seventh-place finish in the Japanese Grand Prix as a well-deserved and unexpected result following his penalty.


The German driver qualified in tenth position on Saturday but dropped down to 15th after being forced to replace his car's gearbox following a crash during final practice.

Hulkenberg admitted he did not expect to secure such a strong result after his Saturday problems.

"If you had told me before the race that we would finish seventh, I would have taken it straight away - so I'm very happy with today's result," said Hulkenberg.

"I made a great start, moving ahead of several cars and was able to keep out of the trouble in turn one. By the end of lap one I was already in eighth and as it turned out we had good pace.

"The car felt strong throughout the race: there was a nice balance and I was able to chase Lewis and Kimi hard and put pressure on them. They edged away towards the end and for the closing laps I just had to make sure I kept ahead of Maldonado.

"So another seventh place - a well-deserved result for the team after a tough weekend for the mechanics and six important points for the championship."

Source: Autosport.com

Japan Race - Force India driver quotes

Nico Hulkenberg (7th)
“If you had told me before the race that we would finish seventh, I would have taken it straight away - so I’m very happy with today’s result. I made a great start, moving ahead of several cars and was able to keep out of the trouble in turn one. By the end of lap one I was already in eighth and as it turned out we had good pace. The car felt strong throughout the race: there was a nice balance and I was able to chase Lewis and Kimi hard and put pressure on them. They edged away towards the end and for the closing laps I just had to make sure I kept ahead of Maldonado. So another seventh place - a well-deserved result for the team after a tough weekend for the mechanics and six important points for the championship.”

Paul di Resta (12th)
“Quite a testing race for me. Things started to go wrong on the parade lap when I had a clutch issue, so it was not a big surprise when I made a poor getaway off the line. Going into turn one I was almost at the back of the field so I was able to stay out of trouble and avoid the accidents ahead of me. But when you lose so much ground at the start it’s difficult to recover. I was always in traffic and without running in clean air I couldn’t really show the potential of the car. We were not too far away with the set-up, but I never really found the sweet spot during the race. Hopefully I can go to Korea and get back in the points.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“An excellent drive by Nico and very encouraging to see such strong race pace on a track that has never really played to our strengths. We made the right calls on the strategy and for much of the race Nico was up there pushing hard to get ahead of Lewis. Paul’s race was seriously compromised by a poor getaway, which we will investigate, and that meant we missed out on getting both cars in the points. In terms of the championship we’ve edged further ahead of Williams and Sauber remain just about in sight. I’d also like to pay special credit to both sides of the garage for their incredible effort this weekend. We kept them very busy and they did an amazing job under difficult conditions. Overall it’s been a remarkable team effort.”

Source: F1.com

Hulkenberg says penalty his own fault

Nico Hulkenberg accepted the blame for the gearbox-change penalty he will get for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.
 
The Force India driver lost control of his car during the final practice session at Suzuka, damaging the front and forcing his team to replace the gearbox after making contact with the tyre wall.

The gearbox change means the German will lose five places on the grid after qualifying in 10th position.

"It was a bit of a tricky day, starting with my accident this morning. That wasn't in the schedule," said Hulkenberg. "We made the most of it and the mechanics did a fantastic job to turn the car around in the first place.

"We whizzed into Q3 and we have to pay the price now for this morning because we damaged the gearbox.

"I'm in the car, so I'm responsible for what happened. It wasn't a silly mistake, just a small lock-up and with the way that corner is, there was no way to recover it. The timing was pretty bad and now we have to deal with the situation as best as we can."

Hulkenberg decided not to post a time in Q3 in order to save tyres, and he will have a fresh set of soft rubber for the race.

"Given where we were, we didn't think we can get much further up than 10th so we decided not to run to save tyres and give us the flexibility of what to start on," he added.

"The target is always trying to get points. We're more in the back of the field, so we need to survive the first lap and I don't know where we will end up. Hopefully we can squeeze ourselves into the points."

Team-mate Paul di Resta was knocked out in Q2 and qualified in 12th position, but the Scot said he was pleased with his effort after missing all of Friday's second practice following his crash.

"There was a tenth in there. I came across [Romain] Grosjean at the Degner 2 and the hairpin and just lost a bit of downforce," di Resta said. "The car is very sensitive to the cars in front of it. I wouldn't say it was a mistake, but I just slightly locked an inside front wheel and didn't have the grip.

"Other than that, it was good and we both matched each other the rest of the way. Other than that, it was a shame not to make it into Q3. We can be quite happy with having a new set of tyres for tomorrow.

"Given the loss of track time yesterday, we should be grateful of where we qualified. It's nice to be in a position where we can challenge."

Source: Autosport.com

Japan GP Qualifying - Force India driver quotes

Force India
Nico Hulkenberg (10th, Q3 - no time)
“The build-up to qualifying was quite intense because the guys were working hard to repair my car after the accident this morning. It was not a big impact, but the angle was unfortunate and there was quite a lot to fix - so all credit to the boys who got me out with enough time to set a time in Q1. The car felt good straight away and we made it through to Q3, which was always the target. We then took a strategic decision to save tyres so I didn’t set a time. That opens up the strategy for tomorrow, especially because we knew I would get a five-place grid penalty for changing the gearbox. There’s still a chance to get points tomorrow if we can make our strategy work.”

Paul di Resta (12th, Q2 -1m 32.327s)
“It was quite a tough session with traffic today and even on my quick lap in Q2 I was slightly compromised in the second sector. I locked a wheel and it may only have cost half a tenth, but that’s how close the margin was to the top ten. I think given what happened yesterday with losing so much track time we can be pretty happy with our performance today. We have got ourselves up there, close to the top ten and in with a chance of points. For tomorrow it’s clear that tyre wear will be a big issue for everyone, but hopefully we can use the strategy to challenge the people in front. There are some question marks going into the race because I’ve done no high fuel running, but we have data with the other car.”

Robert Fernley, Force India deputy team principal
“We’ve been reasonably competitive in all the sessions leading up to qualifying so we felt we had a car that was capable of reaching the top ten. But the pressure was on to fix Nico’s car in the run up to qualifying and as a precaution we had to change the gearbox. As always the boys did a fantastic job to get the car running in time and Nico was immediately on the pace. A place in Q3 was a good effort, although the gearbox penalty means he will drop down the grid. Paul has been playing catch up after losing track time yesterday and was close to making Q3 as well. So we’ve done all we can to be in with a chance of points tomorrow and left ourselves plenty of flexibility with he strategy of both cars.”

Source : F1.com 

Friday practice - Force India driver quotes

Force India
Nico Hulkenberg, P1 - 1:35.474, 9th; P2 - 1:32.987, 4th
“Quite a smooth Friday for me and nice to have two dry sessions with consistent weather. We went through the programme and did all the things we wanted to with no issues. I’m quite happy with the car on low fuel, but I think we still have some work to do to improve our high fuel performance. We took our usual approach with the tyres and did long runs on the hard and soft compounds, so we have lots of information to help us for the race.”

Paul di Resta, P2 - 1:35.299, 8th; P2 - no time, 24th
“The morning session was straightforward and the balance was good straight after lunch with the changes we had made to the car. Unfortunately I made a mistake quite early on and was probably a bit too ambitious. I found myself with my two right side wheels on the grass and lost grip on the loose dirt. It’s a shame it had to happen so early in the session and it creates extra work for the guys tonight. You have to be on the edge to feel what the car is doing and sometimes these things happen, but hopefully it won’t cost us too much for the rest of the weekend.”

Jakob Andreasen, Force India chief engineer
“Overall we’re pleased with how things went today. The car is working well and the drivers feel comfortable. The things we tried out gave us the results we hoped for so I’d say we are moving in the right direction and learning how to get more performance from the car. Paul lost track time this afternoon with a small mistake, so we will assess how to approach tomorrow to make sure he is ready for qualifying. Tyres will be a challenge here, as always, but I think we know the limits of both the hard and soft compounds, and have good long run data.”

Source: F1.com

JAPAN - Force India preview quotes

Paul di Resta, Force India
2011 Qualifying - 12th, 2011 Race - 12th
“It’s a track that’s all about aero so it’s a real test of your car. I also found it very technical with corners like the ‘S' curves where you need a good change of direction. Finding the sweet spot isn’t easy because half the track is made up of straights so you need efficiency as well as downforce for the high-speed corners. Tyre degradation is also high so a neutral car is what you need during the race.

“The thing that surprised me last year was the commitment and enthusiasm of the fans. Even on Thursday the grandstands were busy. So that makes it a special race and the fact that it’s a track with a lot of history. I also enjoy Japanese food, although the challenge is making sure you order the right thing!”

Nico Hulkenberg, Force India
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“My race in 2010 with Williams was not especially memorable because I was taken out before the first corner. That was a real shame because it’s a track I really enjoy and with corners like the ‘S’ curves it’s a great experience in a Formula One car.

“Suzuka is definitely one of my favourite circuits: it’s really challenging and technical, and you need a good car balance to hook up a good lap. Because it’s so technical it’s important to find a good rhythm because if you mess up one corner you can lose the flow of the whole lap.

“I’m feeling positive and we have generated some good momentum within the team recently so I want to keep that going. The goal is to keep getting consistent results in the points.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Force India team principal
“Historically Suzuka has never been our best track, but hopefully this time the team has something up its sleeve. I think we have been pretty consistent on most tracks this season so we are quietly confident that we can perform well this weekend. I certainly hope we can pull some rabbits out of the hat in Japan and Korea and come away with some more points.”

Source : F1.com 

Mallya: One podium could be decisive

Vijay Mallya believes one podium finish could prove decisive to Force India's fortunes in the 2012 constructors' championship.
 
Paul di Resta secured the outfit's second top-four finish in the last three grands prix last time out at Singapore, coming home less than four seconds behind championship leader Fernando Alonso.

The result moved Force India to within 26 points of Sauber, currently sixth in the constructors' standings, with six races to go.

Mallya is aware that catching the Swiss squad will depend of how strongly both squads perform in the upcoming races, but the Indian team boss is still hopeful it can be done - especially if it can secure that elusive podium finish.

"I still remember the situation in 2010 when Williams pipped us by one point at the last race, so I guess it's not over until it's over," said Mallya.

"I'm still hoping that we can do it and one strong podium finish could help to wipe out Sauber's advantage. 

"This is the second time we've finished fourth in the last three races, so we're becoming the bridesmaid a bit too often!"

Mallya thinks that Force India is missing an element of luck this year, but is pleased with both his team's points tally and its recent form.

"It all depends how strong our rivals are in the final six races, but we certainly have some momentum," he said.

"As I've said before that little bit of luck has eluded us. Hopefully it will come to us one day, because we've shown the pace of the car.

"Paul drove fantastically well and we earned 12 points. It's not bad to be sitting at this stage of the season with 75 points in total - we've come a long way."

Source: Autosport.com