Malyasian GP - Friday - Force India Quotes

Deputy team principal Bob Fernley said that they were happy with their single-lap pace, but that they didn’t quite have what it takes to run on the tail of the Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull train in terms of race pace.

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:37.601, P9; FP2: 1:36.284, P6
“It’s a promising start to our weekend. The track is very different compared to last year, so today was all about learning as much as we could. The changes have made this circuit much more fun to drive; I think it’s a big improvement compared to the past. We had a busy session and, despite the red flag interruption in the morning, we collected a good amount of information. Our short and long-run pace seems good and gives me confidence we will be strong this weekend, especially in qualifying tomorrow. Our focus, though, is on the race: that’s when we need to be at our best. We need to make some adjustments tonight, but I think we’re getting there.”

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:37.513, P8; FP2: 1:36.390, P9
“It’s been a good day. We didn’t have any issues with the car; we ticked all the boxes on our programme and went through all the tyre compounds to collect the necessary information. It has been a straightforward day – the way you want a Friday to be. The new track surface made driving here a lot smoother because it used to be very bumpy! It’s a nice feeling, but with such strong sunshine and high temperatures you can feel the tarmac soaking up all the heat – it makes it really hot inside the car! The changes to the final corner have made it a real challenge: it’s the one corner where you can lose a good lap, right at the end, so you need to be very careful when turning in.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“It’s been a positive day overall. We had a busy testing plan and managed to complete it - that involved understanding the three tyre compounds on what is a very different circuit compared to the one we raced on last year. The organisers have done a great job resurfacing the track, getting rid of all the big bumps and adding a big challenge in turn 15, with the adverse camber. The tyres are behaving as we expected them to and the drivers were happy with the balance of the car. Of course, there is still plenty of work needed to extract more performance, especially in qualifying trim, and it’s something we will focus on tonight.”

Formula1.com
  

Malyasian GP - Force India Preview

Nico Hulkenberg
"It feels strange to be going to Sepang at the end of the season, but it’s also a nice change to mix up the calendar. It's one of the hottest events of the year and the temperatures make it quite tough on tyre degradation. The tyres will be important here, managing them throughout the race is crucial and it’s an area we really concentrate on understanding with the engineers.
"Coming after Singapore, I hope we will be a bit more acclimatised to the hot weather - it may even feel like a relief after the real oven of Marina Bay! I'd rank these two events as the toughest races of the season from a physical point of view - you really need to be at the peak of you fitness to do well here.
"Most of the races I remember in Malaysia have seen crazy weather conditions, in April, with monsoon rain, red flags and aquaplaning everywhere. I am quite curious to see how it will change now that the race is in October. It's a track where I have scored some good points and where I had a strong race in 2014, so I hope to go there and create some more special memories."

Sergio Perez
“Kuala Lumpur is a very interesting and busy city. There are many things to do and see so it’s always cool to be there. The weather usually plays a big role in the race and it will be interesting to see how this year’s changes to the calendar affect the weekend, with the race going from April to October.
“Sepang is usually a circuit where rain is a certainty rather than a possibility. It’s where I scored my first podium in Formula One, in 2012, thanks to making the most of the weather conditions. Being in a position to fight for the win came as a shock for me as we did not expect it, but the emotions of that day will stay with me forever.
“It’s another physical race, with the heat and humidity. The track itself is very long and there are a several technical corners. There are long straights with big braking zones that require precision and the high temperatures take the life out of the tyres quickly, especially the rear ones. We have done well in similar hot conditions this season so hopefully we can be on the pace once again.”

Formula1.com

Singapore GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Hulkenberg's race lasted barely a few seconds - tagged from behind by Sainz, he was pitched into the wall, ending his involvement and bringing out the safety car. Perez had a more interesting race, running a long two-stop strategy to work his way into the points from 17th on the grid. The Mexican's eighth place means Force India once again move ahead of Williams in the constructors' standings.

Sergio Perez, 8th
“I am so happy about tonight’s performance; it surely ranks as one of the best races in my career. To be able to do 36 laps on one set of soft tyres, in this heat, and to keep my position under pressure from Kvyat is a big achievement. Pitting on lap one put us behind Gutierrez and that impacted on our strategy: we lost a lot of time behind him and it was very hard on my tyres, which was not good for what was effectively a one-stop race. We knew stopping one time less than our rivals was the only way we could score points, so managing the tyres was crucial. There was no point fighting with Fernando [Alonso] after his last stop: he was in a different race and I knew I couldn’t afford to destroy my tyres that early in the stint. It was the same with Max [Verstappen] – on a day like this I had to race intelligently and pick my fights to make the strategy work. It’s a good result for the team and it puts us back in fourth place in the championship. It’s a shame that Nico’s race finished so early, but we were able to score some good points on a difficult night.”

Nico Hülkenberg, DNF
“It’s extremely disappointing to end my race in the barrier after just 50 metres, especially because I had made such a good start – probably my best getaway off the line this year. I went for the gap between the two Toro Rossos, which was there, but obviously things got very tight. I had Daniil [Kvyat] on my right and Carlos [Sainz] on my left, and Carlos hit my left rear, which sent me into the wall. I think all the avoiding actions led to the gap I was in disappearing. So it was a really frustrating end for me, especially because all the good work we did on Friday and Saturday counted for nothing.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“It was a rollercoaster race for us tonight – starting with a low and ending on a brilliant high. Losing Nico before turn one was very bad luck and he was just the innocent victim of a Formula One start. Having made a sensational getaway, he was clipped on his left rear, which pushed him into the wall and caused some heavy damage to the car. The resulting Safety Car caused us to roll the dice with Sergio as he pitted at the end of lap one, switching from ultra-soft tyres to softs. From there we deployed a brave strategy, which saw Sergio execute what was effectively a one-stop race as he stretched his second set of soft tyres over a mammoth 36 laps. It was a brilliant team effort from everyone, with excellent decisions being made on the pit wall, and Sergio executing an almost impossible strategy. It was a close call on tyre life, but we pulled it off. Considering the bad luck we have encountered this weekend, it feels very sweet to pick up four points and move back into fourth place in the constructors’ championship.”

Formula1.com

Singapore GP - Qualifying quotes by Force India

Force India were once again vying with Williams for much of the day, and unlike their rivals, both Perez and Hulkenberg made Q3, although Perez did so in slightly controversial circumstances after setting his fastest time whilst yellow flags were waving. A visit to the stewards post-session resulted in an eight-place grid drop.

Nico Hulkenberg, 8th, 1:44.479
"I'm not entirely happy with eighth place. I believe there was more speed in the car – maybe two of three tenths – but it was quite a messy session and we couldn't extract the maximum from it. We always felt that Q3 was a realistic target, but we faced some strong competition, especially from the Toro Rossos. It was quite hard to find my rhythm because I had a software issue in Q1 and then the yellow flags in Q2 meant I didn't complete my second lap. Considering all the circumstances, eighth place is a reasonable result and I think we are in good shape for the race. The long run performance from yesterday looked solid and we've done the homework we need ahead of the race."

Sergio Perez, 10th*, 1:44.582
"It was a very tricky session for me – pretty much like the rest of the weekend so far. We had a few technical issues yesterday and we had to make some compromises with the set-up to get a better feeling with the car, so to make Q3 was a good result. The final session was very tight and a couple of hundredths would have moved us up the grid. I'm disappointed to receive the grid penalty because I did significantly lift off for the yellow flags during Q2. Tomorrow's race is going to be very long and the chance of a Safety Car is very high. It's one of those races where just getting to the end gives you a chance of points: anything can happen and we need to make the most of every opportunity."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal 
"Even though we saw both our cars through to Q3, there was definitely a sense that we didn't maximise our full potential this evening. Both drivers found it difficult to find their rhythm and there were various issues that disrupted the flow of qualifying on both sides of the garage. A few tenths here and there would have certainly moved us up the grid. Looking ahead to the race, I'm wary of making any bold predictions. It's always a long race, close to the two-hour mark, and there will be plenty of opportunities to show our competitive race pace and hopefully collect some valuable points."

Formula1.com

Singapore GP - Friday - Force India Quotes

Hulkenberg thought he got plenty of decent homework done, but Perez said he lacked crucial confidence in his car after issues with the brakes and understeer on left-handers.

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:48.214, P12; FP2: 1:46.063, P11
"It was not the easiest day in the car. There are a few issues that we still need to solve and it means that I'm lacking confidence with the car – and that's not ideal for a street circuit. We need to make some good decisions tonight to find a direction that works for me. I also had a brake problem during our long run towards the end of second practice, so my session was not very smooth. Even when you don't have the best Friday, you can still recover and have a good weekend. I won't change my approach tomorrow – the focus remains getting the car in the best shape for qualifying."

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:48.359, P13; FP2: 1:45.182, P6
"It's a good starting point for our weekend: we stuck to our plan, completed all our runs and got plenty of learning out of the laps we did. There's still some work to do to be fully happy with the car, but we looked quite competitive. We are still trying to understand where we stand in terms of long run pace, but the first impression is that our one-lap pace looks good. Most teams usually take a big step forward between Friday and Saturday, so we are not getting carried away. We've done some good preparation work ahead of the race, which means tomorrow morning we can move on and switch our focus to qualifying."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal 
"It was a typical Singapore Friday with dirty and tricky track conditions, especially during the opening 40 minutes of the first practice session. Nico had a straightforward day – getting through the run plan without any significant concerns. He's quite happy with the car, but there remain areas where we know we can find extra performance overnight. Sergio's day was not quite so smooth and some set-up issues have left him chasing the ideal balance. Despite those issues, we showed some reasonable long run pace and we have a good understanding of the three different tyre compounds."

Formula1.com

Singapore GP - Force India Preview

Nico Hulkenberg
“Singapore has really become one of the highlights of the season, next to Monaco and perhaps Baku. It’s a street circuit; it’s a night race and it’s in a city which is one of the hubs of the world. The track is spectacular and you drive next to an amazing backdrop - definitely one of the best races you could have on the calendar.
“The strange sleeping pattern you get into also adds to the unusual weekend - you sleep until late in the day and stay up well into the night - it’s an interesting way to break from the usual routine of a race weekend. It’s nice to have a change. Coming from Europe, this schedule makes it much easier on you because you don’t have any jet lag; you don’t have any adjustment to make and can go straight into the racing matters. The only struggle is to find any restaurants that still serve food after midnight when you’re finished at the circuit!
“I’ve never had a chance to explore Singapore, partly because of the schedule, but also because Marina Bay is quite far from the heart of the city. Once the race weekend kicks off, it’s difficult to move around the town because many roads are closed so we usually end up not seeing too much of the place. It seems a fun city, though - Asian but with a European vibe.
“The track is very challenging. It’s a very long lap, with many corners and that in itself is an added difficulty when you try to strike a balance for the set-up with the engineers: it’s never-ending! From a driving point of view, it makes it really hard to get all the sectors together and deliver the perfect lap. It’s also very hot and humid - you’re in the car for pretty much two hours in steaming hot conditions… it definitely tests you.
“There are some nice corners, such as the fast right-hand kink of Turn 6 and the approach to Turn 7. The first sector is my favourite part of the lap - there are bumps and big kerbs, so you need a car that can take them nicely, and you need good traction out of the low and medium-speed corners to get a quick lap.”

Sergio Perez
“Singapore is unique - starting from the very special schedule we have there. The European season may be over, but we keep to their times: it’s a weird routine - you wake up late, go to the track in the afternoon and stay up late into the night.
“It’s a very demanding race from a physical and mental perspective: it’s hot, races usually last up to two hours and you have nearly 25 corners to get right every lap. There is no margin for error and generally the racing is very intense, which takes a lot out of you as a driver.
“The key to being quick in Singapore is precision. You need to find every last millimetre of the track, almost kiss the walls and have a stable rear end of the car. It’s a circuit that can catch you out and I can’t remember a race there without a safety car, so races can be shaken up at any time. It’s also a track that rewards guts and where the driver can make a big difference.
“As a street circuit, it’s not as unforgiving as Monaco because the track is much wider, but it also means the speeds are higher and there are more overtaking opportunities. I have a good relationship with the place, with some strong results in the past. Hopefully I can do the same this year!”

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“We’ve usually performed well in Singapore. We’ve scored points in every race there since 2010 and had some very strong performances over the years. We had our best showing of the year in Baku on a circuit that shares many characteristics with Singapore so there’s every reason to feel optimistic. I think the warm conditions will work in our favour as well. Solid points must be the objective in Singapore and all the remaining races.”

Formula1.com

Italian GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Perez and Hulkenberg both opted to stop twice and had reasonably quiet races in the midfield. Perez on older tyres was unable to keep a charging Verstappen behind in the closing stages, but both came home in the points for the third race in a row.

Sergio Perez, 8th
“I didn’t really enjoy myself out there today: it was a fairly lonely race for most of it, but at least it gave me a chance to look after my tyres. I think we got the maximum result we could hope for because we didn’t have the pace to achieve more. We tried an aggressive strategy, with a very early second stop, to try and cover Verstappen, but it turned out to be too early and in the end we had a lot of pressure from Massa. It was very important to keep in front of him and bring home as many points as we possibly could. We always knew it would be a challenging race and it’s shown that we need to keep working hard. I think we can fight back strongly in Singapore because it’s a very different kind of circuit compared to Monza and we’ve performed well on street circuits so far this year.”

Nico Hülkenberg, 10th
“My initial start off the line was okay, but Max [Verstappen] in front of me really bogged down so I had to react and turn around him. That really hurt my traction and I lost all the drive going forward, which is why I lost a few positions. Later in the lap, I was side-by-side through turn four with Felipe [Massa] and was on the outside line for turn five. Felipe jumped over the kerb, gave me a little hit, and pushed me wide on the exit, allowing Fernando [Alonso] to get ahead. So it was not a great first lap. Then, in the first stint, it wasn’t easy to overtake and I was stuck behind Fernando until the first pit stop. The second half of the race was actually quite lonely for me, but the damage was done by losing so much ground on lap one. So I’m slightly disappointed with the outcome because I believed we would be more competitive here. We need to learn the lessons, understand where we can improve and come out much stronger in Singapore.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Overall I think getting two cars in the points means we’ve come away with a solid result. Both drivers have been chasing the set-up to try and find the sweet spot all weekend, so to come away with five points is a good return for all the team’s efforts. As is often the case in Monza, the outcome of lap one tends to dictate your finishing position and while Checo moved up, Nico was caught up in the rough and tumble of the midfield. The battle for fourth in the championship is likely to ebb and flow over the course of the season, but I’m optimistic that some of the upcoming events will play to our strengths more than Monza.”

Formula1.com

Italian GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Force India continued their recent run of form, with both drivers making it to the final part of qualifying for the third race in a row. It was a tight battle between the team mates for bragging rights, with Perez shading Hulkenberg by two hundredths of a second. The main worry is the form of chief rivals Williams, with Perez admitting the latter's race pace looked 'extremely strong' during Friday simulations.

Sergio Perez, 8th, 1:22.814
“I think we can be satisfied about today’s result. We have been struggling all weekend, but we worked really hard last night to improve the car balance and made a step forward for qualifying. Some of our rivals seem to have very strong pace, but I think we maximised our qualifying effort with both cars in the top ten. In Q1, it was crucial to put together the perfect lap on my first run; that gave me a bit more freedom in Q2, with an extra set of new tyres available. All in all, it was an exciting session and I had a very intense battle with Nico. The strategy options for the race are quite limited and will depend on what happens during our first stint on the supersoft tyres, and how things go on lap one. Our long run pace looked better than our one lap speed, so hopefully we can match the cars ahead of us and get a good result.”

Nico Hülkenberg, 9th, 1:22.836
 “I’m as happy as I can be with ninth on the grid. For some reason we’ve struggled to find the harmony and balance with the car this weekend, so it’s a good result to see both cars through to Q3. We’ve tried a lot of things with the set-up and made some small improvements, but I’m still not entirely happy with the balance. Tomorrow is another day - tyres will play a big role and it’s going to be interesting to see how things play out. When the middle of the grid is so close we need to make sure we make the correct strategy calls because the final results will be decided by some very small gaps.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“Getting both cars through to Q3 was the goal today and we are pleased to achieve that objective. Eighth and ninth is a good effort and probably a fair reflection of our pace this weekend. We should have a good race car tomorrow, but getting a strong start will be the priority because we know how tough overtaking is around this circuit. The calls from the pit wall will also play a pivotal role in our final result. At the very least we need to hold position and put pressure on the cars ahead to come away with some points.”

Formula1.com

italian GP - Friday - Force India Quotes

Neither Hulkenberg nor Perez was happy with the balance of their cars, and the missing lap time was critical in the hyper-close confines of the midfield. So there’s work to be done tonight. Celis, however, achieved his aim of doing a good, clean job in Hulkenberg’s car in FP1.
Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:24.650, P5; FP2: 1:24.653, P13
“I don’t think today went as well as we thought it would. The balance of the car is still not where I want it to be so we need to understand why that is the case. There are still a couple of tenths we can find and that should be a good starting point. The times show the battle in the midfield is even closer than usual, so we need to keep pushing to come out on top. In the morning session I had a chance to try the Halo for the first time. It was just an installation lap, but I didn’t feel it gave me any problems with visibility. Getting out of the car is a bit more of a struggle, but it will be interesting to see how this technology develops over time.”

Nico Hulkenberg - FP2: 1:24.587, P12
“It’s been a relatively short Friday for me, being in the car for FP2 only; but the afternoon went to plan and it was interesting to see our pace during the long runs. We managed some good runs and the team should have plenty of data to work with tonight. At this stage, I am not as happy as I would like to be with the car: I am still struggling a bit with the balance, so we need to improve things. We need to find some more harmony in the car to get us in better shape for tomorrow.”

Alfonso Celis - FP1: 1:25.367, P12
“I am really happy about how the day went. It was an honour to be able to drive in Monza - it’s a place with such an incredible history. The most important thing, for me, is to keep showing the team that I am progressing and not making mistakes. As always, the priority is to bring the car home in one piece, but every time I get in the car my confidence increases and I can push a little more. Monza is not an easy track to drive, even though the car is very good, especially if you are not in the car every other weekend. You have very high speeds, especially on a light downforce set-up, and trying not to lock the brakes at the end of the straights is a challenge. Every time you go out it’s a compromise between pushing hard and looking after the car, but I am happy with my performance and I am pleased the team is satisfied with it.”

Robert Fernley, deputy team principal
“We always see a very tight grid in Monza and today’s practice times suggest the same will be true this year. There is very little to choose between the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh fastest teams, so there is a lot riding on the qualifying session tomorrow. Today was fairly routine: we worked through our programme, gathered the tyre data we needed on all three compounds and have to make some important decisions tonight on how to approach the weekend. We ran Alfonso in place of Nico this morning and he did a very good job once again. Nico and Sergio were not especially happy with the car balance this afternoon, so we made a few set-up changes to resolve those issues - but, as often happens, to improve one area involves a compromise somewhere else. That said, we will do our homework; make the changes required to improve, and we will be working hard to secure our place in Q3 tomorrow.”

Formula1.com

Exclusive Nico Hulkenberg Q&A: Fight for fourth will go to the wire

Mercedes may have a firm grip on P1 in the constructors’ championship, but elsewhere the battles are raging, with Force India’s scintillating form in Belgium last weekend helping them leapfrog rivals Williams for fourth place in the standings. But can the Silverstone-based team maintain that historically high position until the end of the season - and more importantly, can they do so without harming their 2017 chances? Nico Hulkenberg, fresh from a season-best fourth place finish in Spa, has his say...

Q: Nico, you had an incredible race in Spa. Again you could almost smell the podium, but yet again it didn’t happen. Can you talk us through your race?
Nico Hulkenberg: To be honest, yes it looked promising, but that podium smell was strong only until lap six! (Laughs) So I told myself not to waste a thought on a podium - there are still 38 more laps to go - because when the safety car came out the advantage I had went up in smoke. The gap that I was able to build in the first six laps simply vanished and the red flag reset the race. It was a fresh start from there and it helped for example Daniel (Ricciardo), who got a pit stop for free. And then suddenly there was Lewis (Hamilton) right behind me - and I didn’t have that 10- or 15-second cushion to keep them behind. So yes, at first it was a bit disappointing after I’d had a super start.

Q: Were you surprised that Lewis was able to snatch your place and pull clear by seven seconds?
NH: Actually I was not too surprised by his race - I was expecting that from him. And the safety car and the red flag pretty much played to his advantage as well. So in a way I was a bit disappointed that it was only P3 for him and not the very front, as my guess is that people got out of his way as he moved through the field
. 

Q: Along with your team mate’s fifth place, Force India bagged 22 points last weekend - following on from that record 23 the pair of you secured in Monaco. It means the team is now fourth in the table - but are you really the fourth best team on the grid?
NH: The numbers don’t lie! (Laughs) Yes, we have to confirm that in eight more races. Yes, Sunday in Spa was a super day for us: we did a great job - the whole team. Everything worked smoothly. But we also must not forget that Ferrari and one Red Bull was struggling - and we were right there to pick up the pieces. We got the job done and got rewarded with 22 points. I have no illusions that the three front-running teams have disappeared into the distance - quite some distance - but that is not our competition. We focus on Williams and McLaren. McLaren is coming closer and closer. Their engine upgrade in Spa was a pretty good step forward and Fernando (Alonso) had some pretty good moments. He really had good pace. So right now I think it is close between us, McLaren and Williams. But I am also convinced that we can consolidate that fourth place. But that means producing eight more very good races - no mistakes and no glitches!

Q: Team principal Vijay Mallya said some weeks ago that the team is already deep into development of the 2017 car, so the current high is not a case of you forsaking the future for a good 2016 result. By contrast, Felipe Massa said recently that Williams have been working on their 2017 car for two months - and it shows in their current results. Why are Force India suddenly doing so well now?
NH: It’s not suddenly. Since Barcelona - since we brought that huge upgrade - our form has skyrocketed. I deliberately used that word! (Laughs) Monaco was really good, Montreal was good, Baku was good. We had a lot of good races ever since Barcelona. Yes, the beginning of the season was tough, but that was only the first four races. After that we’ve managed to turn things around. That Barcelona upgrade really delivered.

Q: Are you surprised that Williams are struggling so much - that there is the impression that they are slipping back?
NH: I don’t think that they are slipping back. It is more a matter of us catching up. Maybe they are just standing still - but then standing still in F1 means going backwards! But my guess is that some of the remaining eight tracks will play to their advantage - and some to ours. So I think for P4 overall it will be a race down to the wire.

Q: Twenty-three points in Monaco and 22 in Spa: that means Force India have made it big on two completely different tracks. Is that a good sign for this weekend in Monza - and in two weeks’ time in Singapore?
NH: I have big confidence in our car, in our package. In the end I believe that we will be competitive on all the eight tracks that we are going to. We have developed that car into a really good ‘all-rounder’. We are competitive on street circuits and low-downforce tracks - and last year we have also been competitive here in Monza. So there is no reason why we shouldn’t be competitive this weekend. We are well equipped.

Q: You’ve already committed to Force India for 2017. Checo [Perez] hasn’t - yet. Is he your preferred team mate?
NH: Yes, I would want to see him stay. We are a good ‘couple’ - probably the best ‘odd couple’ in F1. (Laughs) It is fun with him - and he is a big challenge. We are pushing each other hard all the time - that also makes for a good team mate. He has developed pretty well in the last couple of years and is now a very serious competitor. So yes, I would like to him stay.

Q: So if a driver’s not going to Mercedes, Red Bull Racing or Ferrari, then Force India seems the next best place to be?
NH: Yes, it is a very good place to be. Obviously 2017 is a bit of an unknown territory. It’s some sort of lottery as to who’s got it right and who hasn't, so it will have to be seen who’s got the lucky punch and who’s a complete failure. I am happy where I am, because I also think that the drivers have contributed to the journey of this team - to where we are now. So I am happy to stay on board.

Q: Right now Force India are on a high - but what about next year? How much have you already seen of your 2017 car?
NH: To be honest, not much. I have seen pictures, so visually I have an idea of how it will look. The engineers said that we will definitely go faster. From an aero point of view there will be much more downforce - and the big question for me right now is the tyres. My guess is that we drivers will have to reset our reference points a bit. The car will be so much wider at the back. Just take Monaco: Right now we all have a good idea of how close you can go to the barriers - with the new wider cars it will be a completely new learning curve. We have to readjust.

Q: So on tracks like Monaco and Singapore will overtaking be even more difficult?
NH: Yes, it will be harder.

Q: The car will be pretty different, the tyres will be different - and the winter testing is limited to the same amount as this season. Is that enough?
NH: It is never enough! So it will be learning by doing - work and progress. (Laughs) The learning process with these cars will go far beyond just winter testing. 

Q: Looking at this weekend, you and Checo were both in the points here last year, and you have both have traditionally done well at Monza with other teams - does that point towards another points bonanza on Sunday?
NH: I think so - at least I hope so! Sure, what we’ve earned in Spa cannot be translated to here – we still have to earn it again. But our package should also be competitive here. And between last weekend and this, there was little time to make leaps forward - for us, and more importantly, for the others. The aim is to leave Milan on Sunday still being in P4.

Formula1.com

Italian GP - Force India preview

Nico Hulkenberg
“Monza is a great place to go racing. There are so many different destinations on the calendar and there is something special about each one of them, but Monza is legendary. It’s a unique track, with very high speeds and low downforce. The setting in the park of Monza is beautiful: the moment you drive through the gates, you feel all the history of the place coming at you. The tifosi, the Italian fans, add to this combination and create a fantastic vibe.
“Monza is just on the outskirts of Milan, which is a very interesting place, but during a race weekend you’re just too busy to go and explore. The parties on Sunday night are not too bad, though! We go to Italy at the end of the summer and the weather is usually still quite hot. Great weather, great fans, great food - it all adds up to make a very cool race.
“Few tracks push the car to the limit as Monza does. There is no margin for error in the braking zones and every mistake costs you time. In terms of set-up, you need to strike a balance between high speed on the straights and downforce in the corners, but the focus is firmly on top speed. You also need good traction, to make the most of the long straights. We have been doing well on these sort of tracks, so I expect us to be competitive and fighting for points.” 


Sergio Perez
“Italy is one of my favourite places: the people are very warm and welcoming, and they’re absolutely crazy for Formula One. The passion you see from the Italian fans reminds me of the atmosphere we saw in Mexico. There’s so much support; everyone is chanting and waving flags and there are so many people asking us for a photo when we arrive at or leave the track.
“I have great memories from Monza and it’s where I’ve had some of my best races. When I was racing in F3, I had the best weekend of my career there: I started 14th in both races and went on to win both. I scored a podium there in Formula One and I’ve always had a special relationship with the track. It’s not just what happens at the venue - I have a lot of good friends living nearby and it’s just a very enjoyable experience.
“As a fan of our sport, I know Monza has a special place in the history of Formula One. It’s one of the circuits where Formula One should always race. It’s so incredibly fast and the key to a quick lap is to be good under braking and have good traction out of the corners. You brake really hard at the end of the straights and the car moves a lot: you run with very little wing and having a good balance is very important.
“You feel the lightness of the car in every corner because you’ve got so little aero load and it’s even hard to keep the steering wheel level on the straights. The two Lesmo corners are crucial: you need to be stable under braking and control your traction - get wheelspin out of the corner and you’ll destroy your tyres. Then you have the Parabolica: it lost a little of its challenge with the tarmac run-off but you still need to be very precise and use the very last inch of track in this interesting corner.”

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“The Italian Grand Prix is one of the best races of the season. It has all the ingredients that make Formula One special. We saw a huge turnout of fans in Belgium last week and I’m sure the tifosi will help create a fantastic atmosphere this weekend too. Monza is a track that rewards top speed and pushes the engine to its limit. Given our competitive form in Spa, I’m confident we can keep up the momentum this weekend.”

Formula1.com

Belgian GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Force India were chasing a good points haul to overtake Williams in the constructors' championship, and their drivers duly delivered. Hulkenberg was running second before the safety car period, and after the race restarted was unable to keep the quicker Mercedes of Hamilton behind. Perez dropped places at the start but made his medium tyres work well in the closing stages to overtake Alonso and grab fifth place.

Nico Hülkenberg, 4th 
“Today is a massive result for the team and I’m feeling very happy with fourth place. There were some unusual circumstances, but we were there to take the opportunities and pick up some very important points. At the start of the race things worked out really well for me. The first lap was great; I was up in second place following Nico [Rosberg] and pulling away from the group of cars behind me. Unfortunately, the red flag proved costly because it neutralised things and bunched everybody back up again. The restart was clean and the rest of the race was quite controlled – just managing my pace and looking after the tyres. There was a battle with Fernando [Alonso] coming out of the pit lane, but we managed to stay ahead and keep the fourth position. Maybe if things had worked out slightly differently, we could have been on the podium, but I’m satisfied with the fourth position.”

Sergio Perez, 5th
“It’s been a great day for the team and I am very pleased to finish fifth, but it was quite a tough race from the start. I chose a wide line going into turn one, but had to go far on the outside to avoid the first corner accident and that cost me a few positions. I dropped down to ninth and that compromised my race. I managed to make some good progress early on, but every time I switched to new tyres I found myself having to put a lot of stress on them as I needed to attack Felipe [Massa] then Fernando [Alonso]. I still managed to make my way through and bring home a good result for the team. Moving to fourth in the constructors’’ championship is a fantastic achievement for us, but we can’t get carried away because there’s still a very long way to go in the season. Hopefully we can keep our momentum going and keep scoring strongly.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“We can rightly be proud of a great team result – the first time we’ve put both cars in the top five since Bahrain 2014. It was a fantastic weekend, one that highlights once more the special relationship we have with Spa-Francorchamps. Everyone in the team did a great job and we can now celebrate a very strong race. We can even be a bit disappointed, too, because without the Safety Car and red flag, Nico could well have been on the podium, but considering how the race turned out, we feel pretty content with the result. We are now fourth in the championship, having scored 89 points since Monaco, but we won’t let our guard down. There is still a long way to go and the battle in the midfield is just going to get closer. We will continue to work hard and hopefully bring home more special results between now and the end of the season.”

Formula1.com

Belgian GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Force India seem to be continuing the momentum gathered before the summer break, with both cars comfortably making Q3. Qualifying sixth and seventh, it was Perez who just had the edge over his team mate by one tenth of a second. A good result here could close the gap in the constructors' standing to Williams, who currently lie fourth, 15 points ahead of Force India. 

Sergio Perez, 6th, 1:47.407
“I think we are in a really strong position for the race and I am really looking forward to tomorrow. We got as much as we could out of the session: I made a small mistake at the end of my lap and I could have been about a tenth faster, but that’s all we lost. Some of the cars ahead of me are starting on the soft tyre compound, which should be a big advantage for them, but we are still in good shape to get a strong result. There will be a variety of strategies at play and I hope we can move forward, enjoy the battles and bring home some points. The hot weather is making it really difficult for everyone – you reach a point where you can’t go any further with the tyres. Strategy and making the right calls at the right time will be very important: you don’t want to be on the wrong tyres at the start of such a long lap because it’s going to cost you.”

Nico Hülkenberg, 7th, 1:47.543
“I’m reasonably satisfied with our performance today. Q1 and Q2 went to plan, but I had an issue with the power unit during Q3 and that cost me some time down the straights and proved quite costly. We’ve got to start the race on the supersoft tyres, but I think we made the right decision to use them in Q2 because it would have been difficult to make Q3 on the softs. It’s certainly going to be a challenging race if the weather stays this warm because Spa is already a demanding track on tyres in cool conditions. We need to explore our options tonight and make the right decisions tomorrow.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“It was satisfying to see our strong form in free practice carried into qualifying with both Sergio and Nico delivering some excellent laps. Nico had a sensor issue, which cost him a few tenths on his runs in Q3, but overall we can’t be disappointed with sixth and seventh on the grid. Tomorrow’s race will be dictated by tyre strategy so we need to wait and see if the high temperatures continue for the race. We’ve shown that we are competitive and we are well placed to pick up some good points tomorrow.”

Formula1.com 
 

Belgian GP - Friday - Force India Quotes

Hulkenberg was very happy with a day which started well and got better with every move he and the team made. Perez was a little less effusive and said there were lots of little things to do, but overall this was a tremendous start for the team fighting for fourth in the world championship for constructors.

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:50.088, P8; FP2: 1:48.657, P3
“It was a good start after the summer break. We didn’t have any issues and we were able to work through our programme as planned. We collected the usual data and we made some very good steps between the sessions. I wasn’t too happy with the balance in the morning, but we were able to improve it for the afternoon: it’s still not perfect, so there’s a bit of work to do overnight, trying to use the information we got today, but it’s a decent starting point.”

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:49.274, P4; FP2: 1:49.100, P5
“The first indications are positive, but there’s still a lot of work to be done on the car to solve a few little issues. We need to understand the car balance a bit more and develop our set-up from there. The weather is going to play a big role: it will affect tyre degradation strongly, but I am sure we will be able to make the changes we need for the race.”

Robert Fernley, deputy team principal
“It’s only Friday, so there is no getting carried away with the practice results. It’s not easy to read the relative performance levels of the teams around us, especially when teams are experimenting with different wing levels or running development tyres. Today we simply focussed on our work: we collected all the data we needed and we got some good feedback from the drivers. They are happy with the car balance, but there is still room to improve. We will need to make some adjustments based on the weather, which is unexpectedly warm, although the forecast for the weekend is a bit cooler. It’s been a productive day, but what really matters is our performance tomorrow and on Sunday.”

Formula1.com