Monaco GP - Thursday - Force India Quotes

No real issues here, as both drivers showed strongly and were reasonably happy with the start to their weekends. Hulkenberg had the upper hand in FP1, but couldn't find the sort of improvements Perez managed as the track rubbered in.

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:16.560, P7; FP2: 1:16.487, P11
“It was a very promising start to our weekend, on a day in which our priority was to get in all of our planned running. Driving around this track is always a lot of fun as it’s a circuit that tests you to the limit. Even the newly-resurfaced areas have pretty good grip, so it gives you confidence as you drive. We ticked all the boxes in our plan and we were able to run on Ultra Soft tyres in the afternoon to learn about them. The feeling I got from the car is positive: there are a few tweaks we can make to get a bit more grip here and there, but the potential for a good weekend is there. It’s up to us to work well now and turn this promising start into a good result.”
Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:16.697, P8; FP2: 1:16.120, P8
“Driving in Monaco is always a big challenge, even during the practice sessions, because you have to find your rhythm quickly and build up speed with each lap. It has been a good day with no issues and we’ve collected the information we need on all three tyre compounds. I’m not completely happy with the car yet so I think there’s more to come. That’s what we need to look at tonight and tomorrow to make sure I feel totally confident with the car, which is especially important here.”
Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Our main aim today was to give the drivers as much time on track as possible and in this regard they both did a great job, keeping their noses clean and clocking up the laps. It was a classic Monaco Friday, where a mistake can cost you a lot of time. We had quite a busy programme today, with both aero and mechanical test items in our plan. One of the main tasks was understanding the three tyre compounds, including the new Ultra Soft tyre, as each presents its own challenges around this track. As usual, we saw a lot of track evolution as the day progressed so this will be taken into account when we look at our data. We are quite happy with the long run pace and the drivers’ feedback is positive as well, so we have a solid base on which to build. We have a lot of data to analyse, courtesy of nearly 160 laps, and plenty of time to look at it. Our focus now is to extract some extra performance from the car for qualifying, which is crucial around such a narrow track, where overtaking is very hard.”

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Monaco GP - Preview - ForceIndia Quotes

Vijay Malla, team principal
"We certainly took encouragement from our performance in qualifying and the race. It's not easy to introduce a new aerodynamic package during a race weekend, but the team did an excellent job of installing and understanding the new components. We could see the benefits straight away in the data and from the drivers' feedback. Barcelona has never been our strongest track, so to come away with six points means we can feel optimistic for the upcoming races.
"It's always impossible to make predictions. Anything can happen and that's what makes Monaco such an exciting weekend. Both our drivers are strong there, but the first task is to deliver a clean qualifying lap when it matters: we've seen before that qualifying can become a lottery when the track is busy. All being well we've got the potential to qualify in the top ten and score good points.
"It's still the target and we are only 12 points away from fifth place in the championship. We've not enjoyed an easy start to the season with our fair share of bad luck, but with three quarters of the season to go we have plenty of time to catch the teams ahead of us."

Nico Hulkenberg
"Monaco is one of the best weeks of the year. The track, the location, the schedule - it has all the things that make Formula One such a great sport. This will be my sixth Monaco Grand Prix, but I will still feel a huge buzz when I walk into the paddock on Wednesday morning and see everything taking shape.
"The challenge of the track is good fun and very demanding. You build your speed with each session and by the time you get to qualifying you need to be right at the limit. When you walk the track you can't believe that we actually race there because it's so narrow. You need to be incredibly precise because you can't afford even the smallest mistake. Mentally it's very tough because it's corner after corner and there's never a moment when you can relax - even for a second.
"Monaco is one of my home races and I'm hoping that my luck will start to change this weekend. Sometimes you have a spell of unlucky races and there's nothing you can do about it - that's the way I look back on Russia and Spain. You have to put them out of your mind and move on. Monaco is a fresh start and I'm already smiling at the thought of driving around such a fantastic lap."

Sergio Perez
"Monaco is my favourite circuit of the year. It's very demanding, but it's also a track where the driver can make more of a difference. You need to be brave, push the limits and use every inch of the track - that's why it's so much fun in the car. I really enjoy the quicker parts of the lap - Casino and the Swimming Pool - where you need to be accurate and carry lots of speed.
"When I was a child I always dreamed about racing in Monaco. I've had good memories there and some difficult days too. Scoring points last year was special and a very important result for the team. It's always a busy week on and off the track, but it's good fun because the fans can walk the track and get really close to us. It always gives me a lot of energy just being there and soaking up the atmosphere. 
"I'm happy with my results in the last couple of races. We've improved the car and we are moving in a good direction. I think the next run of races will give us the chance to show our speed and continue picking up the points we need for the championship."

Force India were 'out-developed' by rivals - Hulkenberg

Nico Hulkenberg believes Force India fell behind their rivals over the 2016 pre-season, and are only now beginning to make up ground in the traditional Formula One development race.

Hulkenberg has not scored points since the opening round of the season in Australia, while team mate Sergio Perez has made the top ten just twice - leaving Force India seventh in the constructors' championship, two spots down on their finishing position last year.

Asked by Formula1.com to pinpoint the reasons for that downturn, Hulkenberg said: "Two things are responsible for not being as competitive and quick as we thought.

"Firstly, my guess is that we've been a bit out-developed over the winter. And secondly, luck hasn't kissed us in races like China, Bahrain and Russia. A few unlucky incidents - the timing being not quite right - and that's what you get."

As to whether he expects an upturn from the updates Force India brought to Barcelona, and are continuing to evaluate in this week's in-season test, Hulkenberg added: "Of course we have a lot of hopes and expectations pinned to this package.

"It will take time to fully understand what we've got here - and what from the new parts and pieces will be implemented in the long run. I think at the next couple of races we will get wiser.

"We have already found more performance in the car in the wind tunnel, which we will introduce later in the year. So there is no standstill. The season is still young and you cannot let it stand as it is right now.

"To be honest right now the standing in the constructors' championship is not really on my agenda. All we are working on now is to bring performance back to the car - and start scoring points again. We will see where that takes us. We have 16 races to go - that is a marathon!"
Neither Hulkenberg nor Perez is testing in Spain this week, with driving duties instead being handled by Force India's development driver Alfonso Celis.

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Spanish GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Hulkenberg's day ended in flames, with an oil leak forcing his second retirement in a row. Perez had a better time of it, coming home seventh after a solid, if unspectacular drive.

Sergio Perez, 7th
“It was a very good race and I think we managed to get the maximum result we could hope to achieve today. We were able to keep some very fast cars behind us and we capitalised on the accident on the first lap [between Hamilton and Rosberg] to bring home a good amount of points. I had to fend off Felipe [Massa] in the last three laps: I was on very old tyres and he was closing in on me, but I managed to defend my position. This was pretty much the only action I had all afternoon; the rest of my race was quite lonely, which helped me look after the tyres and allowed me to defend in the final few laps. We had a good strategy that helped us leapfrog the Haas and brought us this good result on a track that has never been our strongest.”

Nico Hülkenberg, DNF
“It’s frustrating not to finish another race. I saw some smoke coming from the back of my car and then it developed into a fire so I had to park quickly at the side of the track. It’s a shame because I missed the chance to fight for points and we also missed out on learning more about the car in race conditions. Sometimes in racing you have periods when things don’t go your way, but you have to keep the faith and believe that sooner or later your luck will change. There are also some positives to take away from this weekend because we’ve made progress with the car and I think the performance will continue to improve. So we will keep working hard and come back stronger at the next one.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“It’s been quite an eventful weekend for us, so it’s fairly satisfying to be leaving Barcelona with six points in our pocket. We made a good step with the car, allowing Sergio to run solidly inside the top ten all afternoon. It’s a track with limited strategy options and few overtaking opportunities so it was quite a lonely and straightforward race for him. On the other side of the garage, Nico was out of luck with an oil leak causing a fire and forcing an early retirement. Thankfully Nico was able to park up and helped the marshals extinguish the fire. So it’s been another mixed weekend, but I think our improved performance bodes well for the remainder of the season. As we learn more about this car we have the potential to continue scoring good points at the upcoming races.”

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Spanish GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Perez continued his strong run of form, qualifying ninth. He has looked the quicker of the two all weekend, with Hulkenberg just missing out on Q3 in 11th. Free tyre choice does give Hulkenberg more options with his strategy though, so a double points finish could be on the cards on Sunday.

Sergio Perez, 9th, 1:23.782
“I’m very happy to be starting ninth. This track has traditionally been a difficult one for us, so to come here with our upgrade and make Q3 feels pretty good. I think there was the potential to be even faster on my Q3 lap, but I’m still happy with the result. I expect us to be strong in the race and we have a good track position, which is important on this track where it’s never easy to overtake. In the first stint, the cars starting just outside the top ten on fresh tyres will be a threat, but I am confident we can make a good start and stay ahead. Strategy will be important, as well as tyre management, but it’s not easy if you get involved in battles that take the life out of your tyres. If we can come away with a good number of points it will be a nice reward for the team’s hard work and effort recently.”

Nico Hülkenberg, 11th, 1:24.203
“It’s always a bit disappointing to miss out on Q3 by just one hundredth of a second, but on the other hand starting from P11 gives us the chance to explore the strategy options with a free choice of tyre for the first stint. We brought a big upgrade here this weekend and generally it’s working well, but I’m not totally comfortable in the car and I’m still chasing the balance. I feel quite optimistic about tomorrow because our long run pace looked solid and we’ve got a good chance of scoring some points.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“To come to Barcelona – one of the most demanding tracks where aero performance dominates - and qualify in ninth and eleventh places is an excellent effort by the whole team. Everybody has worked extremely hard to deliver our new aerodynamic package and we’ve already reaped the rewards with our performance today. Sergio and Nico both delivered tidy laps and Nico was within a whisker of joining Sergio in Q3. Those starting positions give us a great opportunity to score a good number of points and make up for the misfortune we’ve experienced in some of the earlier races this season.”

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Hulkenberg: Qualifying will be true judge of upgrades

Nico Hulkenberg came away positive after sampling Force India’s upgrade package for the first time in Spain on Friday, but insisted he is withholding judgement for now on their ultimate potential. 

Both Hulkenberg and team mate Sergio Perez finished inside the top ten in FP2 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, and the German reported definite progress with his revised VJM09 machine.

“Today was pretty cool,” he told Formula1.com. “With all our new parts we could rather easily keep the pace with the so-called front-runners.

“It will be interesting to see what qualifying teaches us - whether it is a continuation of the good pace, or a hard landing in reality.”

Force India have endured a tough start into the 2016 season, scoring just eight points to date. While part of that has been down to poor luck, Hulkenberg admitted it’s also connected to certain traits of the VJM09 – ones he hopes the latest updates will address.

“The weak points of the car are the certain characteristics – namely that it works on some tracks and not on others,” he said. “These new parts are aimed at eliminating these characteristics and at producing more downforce and grip.”

Hulkenberg has reached Q3 in qualifying at all but one Grand Prix so far this year, though he has yet to end a Saturday higher than eighth in the times.

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Spanish GP - Friday Practice - Force India Quotes

Perez had a problem with a smoky engine in FP1, but the team managed to resolve the issue before the session's end, and then settled in to take the final top 10 positions with their heavily revised car in FP2.

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:27.064, P14; FP2: 1:25.437, P9
"It was frustrating to lose some track time this morning, especially when you have some upgrades to test, but we managed to recover well in FP2. I'm not yet totally comfortable with the balance, but I believe we have made a big step forward compared to the car we had at the beginning of the season. Track position is very important in Barcelona so hopefully we can turn this performance into a good qualifying result tomorrow."

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:26.983, P13; FP2: 1:25.453, P10
"It was a good Friday and we managed to get through most of our programme. We had a big upgrade package to test so all the data we managed to get will help us understand it and make the most of it. The first impressions are positive: I think it's a good step forward in performance and I am quite pleased with how things went today. The job now is to analyse all the information from the sessions and see what else we can extract from the car. There are a few more tweaks we can make to get the balance right for the weekend, but it's a good starting point."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
"It was not the most straightforward morning with an oil leak costing Sergio quite a bit of time, but all in all it was a positive day. We were still able to cover a lot of ground with Nico and we completed good mileage with both cars in the afternoon, giving us plenty of data and information. We ran on all three tyre compounds and got a good understanding of the effects of our upgrade package. The preliminary indications appear to be very positive and we believe there is more to come from the car. There is still some work to do ahead of tomorrow, but I think we're moving in a good direction."

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Spanish GP - Force India drivers preview quotes

Nico Hulkenberg
“When you get to Barcelona to start the European season, you start to realise just how quickly the year is passing. It’s a chance to get back into a normal routine because you don’t have so many long flights or time zone changes, so it’s a bit easier from that regard.
“I love the city of Barcelona and the Spanish lifestyle in the sunshine. We’ve already spent a couple of weeks there for winter testing, but when you come back for the race everything is different: the cars have evolved, the temperatures are warmer, and you have to work hard to find the right set-up. That’s why it’s a tricky circuit because confidence counts for a lot and, if you’re not totally comfortable, your lap times really suffer.
“I felt pretty disappointed about what happened in Sochi. In fact, things have gone against us for the last few races. We know we should have scored more points, but it’s impossible to plan for the bad luck we’ve experienced. I’m looking forward to a weekend where everything goes to plan so that we can show our true potential.”

Sergio Perez
“The atmosphere in Barcelona is always special and for me it’s one of the best tracks of the year. I enjoy the layout because it’s a true test of your car with a bit of everything, especially long, quick corners, which all the drivers enjoy. It’s a track where you feel the physical demands, especially on your neck, but overall it’s just a great place to experience a Formula One car. The only downside is that it’s difficult to overtake, but it’s still possible with DRS on the approach to turn one, especially if the car ahead is suffering with high tyre degradation.
“It was important to get back into the points in Russia. The car performed very well all weekend and I can feel the progress we’ve made since the start of the year. It was not a smooth race, but we didn’t give up and scoring two points was a good recovery. It’s been a difficult start to the year, but it feels like the momentum is changing now and the performance in Sochi was a big boost for all of us.
“Barcelona will be the first chance to run our updated car. It’s going to be a huge task to understand everything on Friday, but it’s always exciting to try new parts on the car.”

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“[The Barcelona update package is] on schedule to be fitted to both cars ahead of Friday practice. It’s pretty comprehensive and the car will look quite different.”


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Force India to look 'quite different' in Spain

Force India will introduce a number of upgrades to their VJM09 this weekend in Spain as they bid to overhaul both their car and their 2016 fortunes.

According to team principal Vijay Mallya, the updates - which should be ready for both Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez in time for FP1 on Friday morning - will make their machine look 'quite different' as a result.

"Despite not realising our potential in Sochi, we took encouragement from our qualifying and race pace: the car is improving and we’ve got a good base on which to build," Mallya said.

"[The Barcelona upgrade] is on schedule to be fitted to both cars ahead of Friday practice. It's pretty comprehensive and the car will look quite different.

"There are 17 races to go and I’m confident the best is yet to come. It’s a marathon, not a sprint."

While Force India have scored just eight points so far this year - leaving them eighth in the constructors' standings - Mallya feels the picture has been clouded by misfortune for both drivers.

"In Sochi we were the innocent victims of the first lap chaos – as was the case in Bahrain too," he explained.

"It’s frustrating because, even with the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard to see what we could have done differently. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time with both cars, which caused a puncture for Sergio and ended Nico’s race. 

"To see Sergio recover from the back of the pack and score points was a tremendous effort [but] we’ve yet to see how we perform in a clean, trouble-free race without safety cars, red flags or accidents. I hope we’ve used up all of our bad luck already!"

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Russian GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Contrasting fortunes in the Force India garage- Hulkenberg was forced to retire on the first lap after being tagged by Gutierrez. Perez was also caught up in the action, a rear-right puncture the result of contact with Ricciardo. Despite this, he was able to work his way back into the points with a good recovery drive.

Sergio Perez, 9th
“It’s obviously good to come away with my first points of the year, but without the puncture on lap one the result today could have been so much better. I didn’t get the best start, but I found a good line going into turn two and I was ahead of Ricciardo and Vettel coming out of the corner. Then I realised I had a puncture, which dropped me to the back of the field. After that it was a recovery drive and I managed to get back up to ninth place just behind Grosjean. I had a quicker car and fresher tyres, but he had very good traction and I just couldn’t get close enough to make a move. It’s a shame not to score more points because we did everything right today, but we were just really unlucky. There are lots of positives to take away from this weekend – the great performance in qualifying and the strong race pace. The car is improving and we have some upgrades on the way so I’m feeling optimistic ahead of Barcelona.”

Nico Hülkenberg, DNF
“It was a very frustrating end to my weekend. I got to turn two and felt a big shove from behind: Esteban (Gutierrez) out-braked himself, hit me and spun me around. I was hit by other cars and the damage was too much to even attempt to continue. It’s very disappointing and not the way I wanted to celebrate my 100th race weekend. Hopefully our luck will change soon as we have been very unlucky lately. We should have some upgrades in Spain and I want to be back scoring the points we deserve.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer
“It was another race in which we didn’t fully reap the rewards of our work. Unfortunately, both our drivers fell victim to incidents at turn two, neither of which were their fault. Nico’s race was over immediately, while Sergio had to make his way back to the pits with a puncture and re-joined last. From there on, we were able to display some good pace as Checo made his way through the pack, got back into the points and closed in on Grosjean. Despite having superior pace we couldn’t progress any higher on this track which proved very difficult for overtaking. It means we leave Sochi with mixed emotions. Without the incidents on lap one, we would have been at the front of the midfield pack and with the pace to stay there. At least we can take encouragement from the performance that will help us at the upcoming races, where hopefully we will have a bit more luck and score more consistently.”

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Russian GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Third here last year, Perez impressed again in qualifying after a few minor mishaps in FP3, pulling a brilliant lap out of the bag at the end of Q3 to snag seventh. Team mate Hulkenberg never looked as comfortable with his set up as the Mexican, qualifying 13th - and he is far less confident of his race chances too...

Sergio Perez, 7th, 1:37.212
“I am very pleased with our performance today and my final lap in Q3 was fantastic – just when it mattered. We were strong in Q1 and Q2; I was feeling very comfortable in the car and I was able to deliver great laps in each of the sessions. We are making good progress as a team and our pace over one lap is very strong: it will be interesting to see how we perform tomorrow because we have a fast car behind us and it will be a big challenge to hold our position. This is not a track that helps overtaking so there should be some nice battles. We have enough tyres to choose the best strategy tomorrow and I am optimistic we can come away with a nice result.”

Nico Hülkenberg, 13th, 1:37.771
“It was a fairly straightforward qualifying session, but not with the outcome I wanted. I’ve not felt comfortable since I jumped in the car yesterday and it’s been a struggle to find the grip and performance we were expecting. We changed a lot of parts overnight and before qualifying, but it didn’t take us in the direction we needed. Obviously we can’t change the car ahead of the race so I think it’s going to be a tough Sunday considering how close things are in the middle of the grid.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer
“It’s great to see us continue our run of top ten qualifying results with Checo putting in a great lap when it mattered in Q3. We expect him to move up a position with Vettel taking a penalty, so he should line up sixth on the grid. It’s another example of the inherent speed we have in this car and hopefully we can deliver similar race pace tomorrow. Nico’s session was relatively uneventful, but he felt the car was sliding underneath him and that showed in his final qualifying position. There’s still a long race ahead of us and anything can happen tomorrow, but we have our eyes firmly set on scoring some good points with both cars.”

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Russian GP - Friday Practice - Force India Quotes

Both race drivers got through their programmes, though Hulkenberg’s was necessarily halved so that Celis could get another run in FP1.

Nico Hulkenberg - FP2: 1:39.795, P13
“The track conditions were not great this afternoon and the wind made it a bit tricky, but it was the same for everyone and this is what you expect on a track so close to the sea. I still think we have a lot of information to help us make the right tweaks to improve our performance for tomorrow. I am feeling good about the weekend: the track is very enjoyable to drive and it throws quite a few challenges your way.”

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:40.287, P9; FP2: 1:39.867, P14
“It’s still quite early in the weekend, but the first feeling is positive. We completed a busy programme with several long runs, so we already have a good understanding of the tyres. There’s still a bit of work to do in terms of balance, but we should be competitive and fighting for a place in the top ten in qualifying tomorrow.”

Alfonso Celis - FP1: 1:43.432, P22
“I am happy about the work I did today and also about writing a page of Mexican motorsport history together with Sergio and Esteban – with three Mexicans on track. My main priority was to avoid mistakes and complete the programme the team had planned for me. I wanted to take a few more risks compared to Bahrain, but the track conditions were quite tricky and in these circumstances you can’t be selfish – you need to focus and ensure you keep your nose clean. We had a busy programme of aero evaluation and I am happy I was able to deliver the information the team needed.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Operating Officer
“All in all, a routine Friday, even though the overcast conditions this morning made the air a bit colder than what is forecast for qualifying and the race. The afternoon was a bit better and we collected all the data we need to analyse this evening. Sergio’s plan focussed more on long run performance, while Nico had a slightly different programme to account for him sitting out FP1. I feel we can get more out of the car in qualifying trim, so that will be our main focus tonight and during FP3. We are happy with the indications we are getting from our long run data, but choosing the right strategy will be crucial because it’s not easy to overtake here and track position counts for a lot.”

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