Bharain - Race - Force India

Sergio Perez, 8th

“Eighth place feels very good and I’m very satisfied. It was a great opportunity to score points today and this is a nice reward for the whole team. Before the race we were not sure a two-stop strategy was possible for us - we thought the tyre degradation would be too high, but the team did an amazing job to make it happen. My engineers were giving me good information over the radio and after the first stint we knew that stopping twice was our best chance of scoring points. I think this was one of my best races in terms of managing the pace and the tyres. There are a lot of positives to take from this weekend and once again we showed that this team has a lot of heart and that we never give up.”

Nico Hulkenberg, 13th
“It was a disappointing result for me tonight: we didn't seem to be able to find the same level of grip we had in qualifying and that made it really hard in the car. We were in a few battles, but we just couldn't get the right edge, which is a shame. We seemed to be struggling to preserve the tyres compared to the cars around us and this cost us positions. We will need to investigate what caused us to suffer so much in the race, and hopefully it will at least give us an answer to avoid a similar situation in future races.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Finishing with some points is always a good result, especially considering the way in which Sergio and the engineers executed the two-stop strategy. We needed Sergio to preserve his tyres to make our strategy work and he did this perfectly. When there was the need to pull a decisive move, he did so without compromising tyres or car and that proved to be the key for tonight's result. Nico had a busy race and he always seemed to be in the middle of some battle. He suffered with high degradation today and the extra pit stop compared to Checo dropped him outside the points. Overall, though, we feel very positive leaving Bahrain - it’s a solid result to wrap up the first round of fly-away races and adds four important points to our tally as we head to Europe.”

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Bharain - Saturday - Force India quotes

Nico Hulkenberg, 8th
“P8 – I’m happy with that. I think we extracted the most we could from the car today. Overnight we made some good tweaks to the set-up and that helped, especially in these slightly cooler temperatures. It was quite windy, but it didn’t impact on us too badly and all of my laps were pretty good. Points will be the goal tomorrow, but it won’t be easy because there are a lot of quick cars behind us and they will put pressure on us. We need to make the best of the car we have and hopefully come away with a good result. Bahrain always produces good racing with the DRS zones and tyre degradation will be an important factor in the ace. Whatever happens, we are ready for the fight.”

Sergio Perez, 11th
“Even though I’m frustrated at missing out on Q3 by just a few hundredths of a second, I think we can be satisfied about the big step forward today. It would have been an amazing result to have both cars in the top ten, but eleventh on the grid is something we can be happy about and it’s the result of a massive effort by everyone in the team. Today both our car and the track characteristics played into our hands, possibly more than we were anticipating. This result is also a matter of learning the best way to set up this car. The sixth row is a good place to start and I’m optimistic about getting some good points tomorrow. We have shown to be pretty good around here: we had strong pace during our longer runs yesterday and this should give us a chance of a strong result.” 

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Today's qualifying result is a very positive step in the right direction. It was encouraging to see us nearly placing two cars in the top ten and, even though we just missed out with Sergio, we can be proud of this effort: the drivers extracted everything that the car could offer and they put together some excellent laps. We must not get carried away as we know that our car is particularly suited to this track, but we are confident for tomorrow. Starting in P8 and P11 gives us a good shot at scoring points, so it will be important to do a good job tonight and be prepared for tomorrow's race. Our pace looked solid in practice and we will need to ensure our strategy gives us the opportunity to make the best of it: the midfield is very competitive so it won't be an easy job, but we're ready for it.”

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Exclusive Sergio Perez Q&A: Points bahrain will seem like a victory

A lot can change in a year in Formula One racing. Twelve months ago Sergio Perez and Force India finished on the Bahrain podium. This weekend in Sakhir Perez concedes he’ll be happy if he makes the top ten. The team have the much-prized Mercedes power unit behind them, so where exactly has it gone wrong for the Silverstone-based squad? We caught up with Perez to find out…

Q: Checo, the first three races have been a bit of a wake-up call for Force India. How is the view from the driver’s seat?
Sergio Perez: Well, obviously we haven’t had the nicest races so far. When looking back I would say that in Melbourne we clearly missed the chance to score more points than we did. It was a messy race for me, but in the end I managed to score one point. In Malaysia it was simply impossible to do anything. The tyre degradation on our car was massive - in fact we were just sliding around. In Shanghai my impression is that we made a step forward - at least the numbers showed that we were more competitive. But numbers are numbers and you have to execute performance on the track. Definitely a step forward, yes - now let’s see if we can bring that to the track here. The track layout should suit us so we expect to be more competitive and close more of the gap to the people ahead of us. But to really do this significantly we need an upgrade.

Q: You say that Shanghai was definitely a step forward, but the result was pretty unsatisfactory…
SP: Sometimes we can do magical things with the strategy, but in Malaysia and Shanghai we finished where we deserved to finish. We will try again this weekend.

Q: The Mercedes is still the strongest power unit, so where are the issues?
SP: Yes, we are Mercedes powered which is still the best engine around, but Ferrari has closed the gap massively. Look at Ferrari - and Sauber! In our case the main issue is the car. We have not enough load and weight. Right now our car is in a worse position than last year. We took a step back…
Q: What areas are you talking about specifically?
SP: The whole car. We have a slower car than we had last year. But the team has found good solutions to solve our issues so we are really optimistic for the upgrade package.
Q: Force India have announced that a massive upgrade has to wait until the Austrian Grand Prix. What are you doing in between? This means still four races with this car…
SP: In between we must give anything we can. Simple as that. We are working very hard every weekend to achieve the most in our situation - and sometimes luck is definitely not on our side right now. Remember, 12 months ago we were on the podium here - and now we would be super happy to make it into the points. That would seem close to a victory. This is how fast things can change in Formula One. ‘Hero to zero’ can happen almost overnight. It is really a painful period at the moment, but I am optimistic that it will again go the other way.
Q: That fantastic podium finish last year: what has to happen to make it happen again?
SP: Ha, basically most of the grid has to retire! (laughs) That doesn’t sound realistic, does it? As I said, if we manage to get in the points that would be massive.
Q: How much of a boost does this track give you? You said that it is one of your favourites…
SP: Yep, there is hope that luck returns on this track.

Q: When you say finishing in the points, what position do you have in mind?
SP: I said we have to be realistic, so I would say P9 or P10.

Q: So how did it go today? Aside from that Sebastian Vettel incident…

SP: Sebastian came over to explain what had happened - not many drivers would have done that. Before that incident I think we ran at the potential that we have right now. Overall it was what I expected and there is definitely the feeling that we’ve made another step forward - how big a step Sunday will show. Of course you want more, want to go faster and start further up the grid, but I am realistic when it comes to our pace. I am still convinced that we can have a good race on Sunday - at least I owe this to the track that brought me the podium last year.
Q: You and team mate Nico Hulkenberg are ambitious drivers. How hard is it to be stuck in the bottom third of the grid?
SP: Well, we are young enough to still believe that we could become the best drivers in the world and finally move to a big team. We are probably both in a transition period.


Q: But if you look right now at your former team McLaren, you must be happy with where you are
SP: …yes, sounds funny but it’s true. This is how strange F1 sometimes can be! (laughs) Being in a top team doesn’t guarantee anything.


Q: Reliability has for years been Force India’s secret weapon. In China Nico’s car gave up. A one-off or a sign of more to come
SP: I think that was a one-off. It was an issue that we spotted already. So fingers crossed that it was a one-off and that we can cruise into the points on Sunday.

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Bahrain - Friday - Force India Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg
FP1 - 13th; FP2 - 15th
“It was quite a straightforward Friday. This morning we did a few aero tests to continue our process of understanding the car and learning about it, exploring different ways to optimise our performance. Our mileage was good, so we should have plenty of data to analyse tonight. The afternoon session went quite smoothly as well: we were able to use both tyre compounds and completed short and long runs. We got all we needed from the session, so that we could skip the final run and save a bit of engine life. We have a fairly clear idea of where we stand and of our performance level, so tonight it will be a matter of tweaking our set-up to improve the balance and be more competitive tomorrow.” 

Sergio Perez
FP1 - 11th; FP2 - 17th
"It's been a good day for us, despite the final incident with Vettel. I was trying to overtake Nasr and, when I got to the apex of turn one, the gap I had on Sebastian was gone, as he had a car problem, and he made light contact with my right rear. After the session he came to see me and said he had an issue with the brakes. It was an unfortunate incident but nothing more than that. Before that moment, we had done a good job throughout the sessions and I feel we have made another step forward. We tried some different set-up options and we had the opportunity to make some big changes between the two sessions. We seem to be a bit more competitive compared to the previous couple of races, especially over the longer runs, but it’s too early to make any predictions.”

Robert Fernley, deputy team principal
“We split an extensive aero test programme between both cars in FP1, gathering lots of data to help us with the correlation of the car. This evening the focus moved towards the long run performance: trying different set-ups between the two cars to give us the information needed to ensure we have the best possible race car come Sunday. We now turn our attention to extracting more qualifying potential from the car and we have plenty of good data to analyse tonight.”

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Bahrain GP - Preview- Force India

Nico Hulkenberg
 “Bahrain is always an enjoyable weekend: I really like the paddock and the atmosphere around the venue is great. There's always a fairy-tale feel in the paddock and the facilities are fantastic, especially at night when all the lights turn on. It is also the place where I drove my first Formula One race, back in 2010, so I have some very good memories about this race - not least last year's race, which was very enjoyable to drive.
"The track is quite tricky to master, especially as the sand blowing on the track can make it really dusty, so grip doesn't always improve throughout the weekend. There are a few very nice corners, especially the double left-hander before the back straight: it's difficult to get it right and it is very easy to lock the inside front wheel. It's a very technical track with a few good overtaking opportunities, and at the same time it's a challenge from a mechanical point-of-view as well, taking a lot from your rear tyres and from your brakes.
"After a disappointing weekend in China, we want to be in a condition to make the most of any opportunities we may get in the race. We know where we stand in terms of performance and we know the work we have to do to get closer to the teams in front of us. In the last few years there have been some very eventful races in Bahrain, so hopefully we will be able to challenge for the points and come away with some rewards to close this first part of the season.”
Sergio Perez “Returning to Bahrain brings back a lot of good memories. Last year's race had all you can ask from it: a lot of action, a great performance and of course finishing on the podium. It's a good track for me; I won there in GP2 and generally always had good races so I feel positive about going there.
"The track itself is a stop-and-go circuit with long straights, sharp braking zones followed by rapid acceleration: rear tyre degradation is quite high and I expect it to be one of the themes of this race. Grip is always a challenge with all the dust blowing on the track, and the surface evolves a lot during the weekend and the race itself. There are two DRS zones and a few good overtaking opportunities, especially in the first sector: this should make for some good racing.
"The last race in China was interesting for us, as we were able to be much more involved in battles against the other teams. As we keep learning about our car and its set-up, we are closing the gap to our rivals, which is really encouraging. There is still a long way to go but everyone is working hard for it and hopefully we will soon be able to mount a more consistent challenge for regular points."

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“As we get to the end of this first part of the season, it’s a good moment to reflect on the start of our campaign and the next steps ahead. I think it is fair to say that we are not yet where we want to be, but we are conscious of the effort everyone in the team is making to push us up the order. Work continues as we keep introducing upgrades ahead of a significant package coming during the European season.
"The memories of last year's Bahrain Grand Prix are still fresh in our minds: it was a great emotion to see our team on the podium. Both Sergio and Nico raced admirably there and hopefully this will spur them on to perform some magic once more. Traditionally, Bahrain is a circuit that suits our car, although year-to-year comparisons are not the most reliable way to predict form in Formula One.
"As we approach this last flyaway race in this first part of the season, we expect to continue closing the gap with the teams ahead of us. In terms of both single lap and race pace, we have been getting more performance into our car and we hope this trend will continue this week.”

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Chinese GP - Race - Force India Drivers Quotes

Sergio Perez - 11th
"We raced very hard today, but in the end it wasn't quite enough to come away with some points. With the strategy we looked at all the opportunities and switched to three stops quite early in the race, which was the right decision. I was able to push hard all the time with the aggressive strategy and fight with the cars ahead of me. In the final part of the race I was catching Ericsson, but he was just too far ahead to make up the ground. We are still not where we want to be in terms of competitiveness, but there are definitely some positives to take because we made an improvement compared to our performance in Malaysia."

Nico Hulkenberg - DNF
"It is disappointing to end the race early, especially considering our previous record of solid reliability. It would have been interesting to see how our race would have developed because I made some good progress on the opening lap when I went around the outside of a few cars and then got a good run at Kvyat, which put me up in P12.  We had the pace to keep up with the Toro Rossos and Saubers, so it was positive to see our pace being more competitive. It is still too early to say what caused my retirement: the engineers are looking at the issue and still investigating. All we know at this stage is that I lost drive and had to park the car."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
"We leave China with mixed feelings after a busy race. Sergio performed really well and was unlucky not to see his performance rewarded with a point. He was in a number of battles and was able to compete on more or less an equal footing with some of our direct rivals, which offers an encouraging view for the coming races. It was a shame to lose Nico due to a technical issue, especially as he had made very good progress in the first part of the race. Like Sergio, he was showing some really good pace and it would have been interesting to see where he would have finished had he continued. Throughout the weekend, there have been some encouraging signs regarding our performance and we can build on these as the development of the VJM08 continues."

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Chienese GP - Qualifying - Force India Driver Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg, 16th

“It was disappointing to go out in Q1 but unfortunately the final lap just was not quick enough. I lost a bit of lap time with a small mistake as I was pushing hard, trying to get everything out of the car and that caused us to miss out. We know there is a lot of work ahead of us to develop this car and get its performance to the level we expect from it, but we know this is a process that takes time: it is just a matter of pushing hard to get better week after week. Looking ahead to tomorrow, we are aiming to be fighting for some points. It is not going to be an easy task but we will give it our best shot.”
Sergio Perez, 15th

“I had a couple of pretty good, clean laps in Q1 and that was enough to take me through to Q2. I think we got the maximum from the first session and that’s why we approached Q2 with the race in mind because having enough sets of new tyres will make an important difference on Sunday. I’m looking forward to the race and seeing what we can do. We need to look at the strategy options tonight to make sure we pick the right one. If we can make a good start and find a nice rhythm tomorrow, we can certainly look at challenging for points.”
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal

“There were no major surprises in today’s qualifying session. Sergio did a great job in Q1 and was able to deliver a good lap when he was called to do it. He didn't have much of a chance to improve his position in Q2 as we opted to shift our focus to the strategy for tomorrow's race. Nico was unlucky to get knocked out in Q1: he was improving his final lap but unfortunately all the sectors didn't come together. We still line up in P15 and P16 and this should give us a chance to be in the fight for points, which was our objective coming into this weekend.”

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Chinese GP - Friday practice - Force India Driver Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg
FP1 - 18th; FP2 - 16th
"It was a straightforward Friday in which we were able to get through our program as planned. The majority of our work was on the tyres and on car balance, which should offer us a base to work from for the rest of the weekend. We were able to run with some test items in the morning and hopefully this will give the team plenty of data to process and analyse. I definitely think there is some interesting stuff going forward. We obviously have some work to do in order to extract some more performance from the car, especially as we switch between the different tyre compounds, but that should be the main focus for us tonight."

Sergio Perez
FP1 - 16th; FP2 - 18th
"Today was not the easiest of days for me, especially the afternoon session, but at least the conditions out on track were quite consistent. We had to abort my first run on the option tyres and, when we went to resume it, there was a lot of traffic, which made it difficult to learn about our single-lap performance. It is something we will need to focus on tomorrow morning ahead of qualifying. On the other hand, we were able to fit in a longer run on the prime tyres, which gives us useful information for Sunday."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
"It was a very busy Friday for the team and, despite a few minor technical issues that needed addressing, we were able to complete a solid amount of laps. We had the opportunity to test a few new parts that have been created as part of the VJM08's development process and we will need to analyse their impact on the car's performance tonight. The tyre programmes went largely to plan so on that front we should have the necessary information to help our race preparations. We have a lot of work ahead of us tonight and we will push hard to turn what we learned today into performance."

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Chinese GP - Force India - Preview Quotes

Nico Hulkenberg

“Shanghai is a cool place. I always stay in the center of the city and you can feel the buzz of the place. There is so much happening and everybody is very busy all the time.
“The track has a mix of everything – low, medium and high-speed corners, so it’s quite similar to Sepang with a big emphasis on aero performance. The quick corners are tough on the tyres and high degradation is a big factor in this race. The never-ending turn one also takes the life out of the tyres, especially the front left.
“It's a fun track to drive and a challenge to get right. I’m not going there with any big expectations, but we’ve got to believe we can fight for some points. It wasn’t possible in Malaysia, but we certainly put up a good fight and will keep working hard. I think our performance level will be similar this weekend.”
Sergio Perez

“I’m looking forward to this weekend and getting back in the car. The first two races have not been the easiest for me, but as a team we’ve been fighting hard and doing all that we can to find more performance. We have lots of areas to improve, but it’s a long season and it feels like we are moving in the right direction.
“Shanghai has never been the luckiest circuit for me. It was only last year that I scored my first points there. It’s a track that I enjoy because of the unusual characteristics. Turn one is a real challenge, especially in qualifying because you need to carry so much speed into the corner, but it’s easy to run wide and lose a lot of time.
“The long back straight is also interesting because you get a lot of drag races. It’s where horsepower and top speed are important. Sometimes you see three cars wide and lots over overtaking into the hairpin. It’s definitely the best passing opportunity of the lap.”

Vijay Mallya, Team Principal
“The first two races of the season have seen varying fortunes for Sahara Force India. After scoring points in Australia, it was more of a challenge in Malaysia where Nico and Sergio showed their fighting spirit and enjoyed plenty of TV airtime as a result. Both weekends were valuable learning opportunities for us as we work hard to improve the VJM08.

"Everyone in the team deserves credit for the strong reliability of the VJM08, but there is a long way to go on the development path. We know the areas we need to improve and I’ve been impressed with the attitude of the team. The morale is strong and we will keep fighting hard to score as many points as we can in these early races.
“The upcoming weekend in China will be an interesting one. We will try and take some steps forward, based on what we have learned in Malaysia, and we will go to Shanghai targeting points. Formula One put on a very good show in Sepang so let’s hope for more close racing this weekend.”

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