Mexico GP - Friday - Force India Quotes

Hulkenberg looked more settled than Perez in the afternoon, after both had enjoyed a solid FP1. The German said, like everyone else, that finding the balance was difficult, but believes they have a good direction for the rest of the weekend. Perez admitted that he struggled in FP2, but agreed with his team mate that they have the basis to hone the car overnight without losing pace relative to the competition.

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:21.200, P4; FP2: 1:21.579, P15
"Racing at home is a very emotional moment, but when I get in the car it's important that I treat this weekend like any other race. The morning went very well and I had a good feeling with the car. I struggled more in the afternoon, but we know where we need to focus and the direction we need to take to improve for tomorrow. The conditions today were not what we anticipated, but the rest of the weekend should be warmer: we will need to set the car up for what we think we are going to find on race day, but I think the data we collected today will allow us to do so."

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:21.409, P5; FP2: 1:20.574, P6
"The main focus on Friday is to complete your programme without issues, and from this perspective we had a good day. Most of the challenges we are facing are the same as last year – the altitude makes a big difference to the feel of the car with a loss of downforce – so we need to adapt to the conditions to find the ideal balance for the car. The rest of the day was quite standard, mostly learning about the tyre compounds, and I feel we did a good job with it. The morning session didn't tell us much: the track was very cold and very dirty, so getting good information was difficult. We were able to assess the tyres in the afternoon and there wasn't any particular surprise. In terms of car balance, we have made a good start but I am not completely happy yet: there is still a good margin for improvement and I hope we can dial our car in to find it overnight."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
"It was very cold this morning, meaning the conditions weren't very representative of what we expect for the rest of the weekend. Track temperatures were slightly higher in the afternoon, and we could focus on understanding the two race tyre compounds: medium and soft. We didn't have any interruptions and gathered a lot of good data about how to set the car up on race day. Overall, Nico appears happier with the base balance of the car, whereas there are still a few elements on which to work with Sergio. Our focus now is on preparing the car for qualifying with a view to extracting the most out of it – it's the work we will be doing in the final practice session tomorrow morning."

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Mexico GP - Force India Preview

Sergio Perez
“Mexico City may be quite far from my city of Guadalajara, but I go there very often for professional reasons. It’s a city I love and there’s so much going on: the best restaurants, so many sights and so many things to do. It is a huge city and sometimes traffic makes going from one side of town to the other feel like an adventure! It is, not surprisingly, one of my favourite moments in the season and last year’s was special not just for me, but for my team and for anyone who came to the race.
“I have no doubt this year’s event will be even better than last year - expectations are huge following the success of 2015. For me, the biggest surprise was the passion of the fans: all the affection I received, all the messages and all the incredible moments I experienced are what really made an impression on me. I am so happy to go back there.
“The track itself is brilliant: my two favourite parts are the fast esses and the Foro Sol. It’s a very technical circuit, with some tricky corners: at the speeds we are doing, managing the car is very complicated and it’s important not to lose your rhythm. There is no key place where you can make or break your lap, except perhaps the slow section inside the stadium: you have to nail the combinations of corners to be able to string together a good lap. I am really looking forward to trying the track surface - last year, the asphalt was completely new, so this year it should be a big improvement.”

Nico Hulkenberg
“I am looking forward to going back to Mexico. Last year the whole race week was a huge thrill and you could feel all the excitement from the Mexican people as Formula One was coming back after more than 20 years. The happiness and enthusiasm were incredible, and the vibe we could feel was great - I had goosebumps the first time I got to the track and saw all the fans. I hope this year we’ll have a similar experience: I know what we had in 2015 will be hard to match, but I trust the locals!
“The circuit facilities are nice, even though the track is perhaps not one of the most challenging. The first sector, though, is fun to drive - Turns 1 to 3 make up a good combination: it’s a triple corner, quite slow in the race but exciting in qualifying, as it gets quicker with lots of grip and low fuel.
“The altitude makes our set-up choice interesting: we have a high-downforce package on the car, but the thin air results in a downforce level similar to what we have in Monza. The car feels loose and very floaty, and massively quick in a straight line: last year we went over 360 km/h on the main straight. We had a good result last year and hopefully we can go even better this year.”

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“We are really looking forward to the weekend in Mexico, a race that has already become a favourite for everyone in Formula One. Last year, the event felt like a huge celebration of our sport and we are looking forward to experiencing the same incredible levels of passion again.
“Off track, this is one of the most important races of our season. We have a large number of Mexican team partners and we are keen to get a special result in their home race. Of course, we also have the Checo-factor: we saw all the fans cheering for him in Austin and we know of the huge following he has in his home country, so we expect the majority of the people in the stands to be supporting us. It will feel like having a home advantage and we hope to contribute to a very enjoyable race.
“On track, however, this is a race like any other: we need to focus on our job and do it right to move one step closer to our objective of finishing fourth in the championship. The characteristics of the track should suit us and I expect us to be fighting for points.”

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American GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Hulkenberg's race ended on lap one when he collided with Vettel and Bottas at the start. He limped back to the pits but had too much damage to continue. Perez didn't get away cleanly either, hit from behind by Kvyat in an incident which earned the Russian a ten-second penalty. Fortunately the Mexican was able to continue and came home in the points.

Sergio Perez, 8th
“Eighth place was a good recovery after our race was compromised on lap one. I was hit hard from the rear under braking for turn 11 by Kvyat, who made a mistake and came in with no control. All of a sudden I was effectively in last place and with a badly damaged car. It was a difficult recovery, but step by step we got back into the points and in the end we didn’t get a bad result. We got all the strategy calls right and this helped us overcome the damage to the car because we made up positions in both pit stops. To come away with four points and to move up to seventh in the drivers’ championship is a good result in these circumstances. It’s important to hold on when you get a difficult weekend, especially in races with high attrition, and score every point you can get, but the regret remains because I think we could have finished fifth today.”

Nico Hülkenberg, DNF
“It’s really disappointing to have another first lap retirement. I just ran out of space going into turn one because I got sandwiched between Valtteri [Bottas] on my left and Sebastian [Vettel] on the right. Sebastian turned in quite aggressively, made contact with me, and that pushed me into Valtteri. I think it could have been avoided if Sebastian had given us a bit more space, but it all happened so quickly and I had nowhere to go. It’s really frustrating when you have a quick car and your race only lasts ten seconds. We had done all the hard work on Friday and Saturday, but all that effort counted for nothing.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“We had a pretty disastrous first lap – not for the first time this year. Nico was eliminated in turn one as he got squeezed between Bottas and Vettel. The resulting contact broke the steering arm and forced us to retire the car. Later in the lap, Sergio was hit by Kvyat going into turn 11 and he dropped to the back of the field. Despite picking up damage to the floor, he staged a remarkable recovery drive to finish eighth. To be leaving Austin with just four points is disappointing, especially considering the speed we had in the car this weekend. That said, we’ve only dropped a couple of points in the fight for fourth place in the constructors’ championship and we take encouragement from the car’s competitiveness across the weekend. It means we can go to Mexico confident of delivering a similar level of performance.”

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American GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Perez was unfortunate to be bumped out of Q3 in the dying seconds, missing out by one tenth. Starting 11th, he will have the consolation of free tyre choice for the race. Hulkenberg did make Q3 and impressed once again to be 'best of the rest' in seventh. 

Nico Hulkenberg, 7th, 1:36.628
“Lining up seventh on the grid is as good as it gets today. Once again, we’re the first after the three big teams, which is where we can realistically expect to be. We knew we would perform well here, but I am actually quite surprised by the big margin we have over the cars behind us. The start and the first lap will be fundamental for the race, so I will need to keep out of trouble, put my head down and push hard. Choosing the right strategy is where we will focus tonight – I think there are a few different options, so we will need to see which one gives us the best opportunity. Looking at the gaps ahead and behind us, we may be in for a bit of a lonely afternoon, but I wouldn’t mind it at all – I just want a strong result!”


Sergio Perez, 11th, 1:37.353
“It has been a messy day – not only qualifying, but final practice as well. For some reason, I’ve been quite a long way off the pace and we’ve lost some of the performance we had yesterday. This morning we found an issue with one of the components at the rear of the car, which impacted on my pace. I thought we had solved that going into qualifying, but I still believe there is an issue with the car because the data showed it was very difficult for me to match my teammate in the braking zones. The car also felt nervous through the high-speed corners. Hopefully we can understand where I’m losing out and figure out a solution so that it does not impact on my race pace tomorrow.”


Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“The car has been quick here straight out of the box and it’s satisfying to see Nico qualify in seventh place. He clearly had the edge over the cars behind him in Q3 and should be able to race well from there. Being right behind the top three teams is probably the maximum we can hope for on a regular day at this stage of the season, but we still needed to get the best out of our package to be there. Sergio has struggled for confidence with the car today, but starting from eleventh place could open up some opportunities for us in the race. We will analyse the data tonight to see if there is anything we can do to restore the balance he had with the car yesterday. With the conditions likely to remain the same for tomorrow, we expect to be competitive and bring home a good result.”

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American GP - Friday - Force India Quotes

Hulkenberg and Perez were both happy with the way their days went (half a day in the latter's case), and felt they arrived at a good starting set-up. Celis was pleased with his performance, when he ran Perez's car in FP1.

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:39.712, P5; FP2: 1:38.508, P6
"It was a straightforward Friday - the way you want to start a weekend, really. We didn't have any major issues with the car and we were able to do a good amount of mileage. We tried a few different things with our set-up this afternoon, so the job tonight is to try and understand the best direction to take going forward. I am reasonably happy with the balance of the car, but I know we can make some improvements tonight. So we're in a good place to start and I am optimistic for tomorrow and Sunday."

Sergio Perez - FP2: 1:38.568, P8
"I was only in the car this afternoon, but I got up to speed very quickly and I am quite happy with my laps – I think we're in a promising position. The car feels okay and I think we found the set-up window quite early. Nico tried a different approach to me and it should have helped the team get all the information we need to make a good decision for tomorrow."

Alfonso Celis - FP1: 1:41.422, P17
"I'm pleased about the improvement I could see throughout the morning, especially in the slow and medium-speed corners, and in the braking zones. I only had two sets of supersoft tyres available, so I had to be smart with how I used them. You never get everything out of a lap on the first attempt and by the end of the run your tyres are no longer at their best, but taking this into account, I am pleased with what I achieved. Most importantly, I went out to collect data for the team and we got all we needed, which is what I am meant to do. On a personal level, it was great to see many Mexican fans out in the stands. I won't be in Mexico City next week, but I was really happy to see support from my home country - it was very motivating."

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal 
"We are pleased with how things went today. This morning Alfonso picked up where he left off in Monza and did a good job on this difficult and technical circuit. All the drivers were happy with the baseline balance, but the conditions were very windy, which added an extra challenge for setting up the cars. The main focus was on high fuel running and understanding the three tyre compounds, which performed as we expected with no real surprises. Because it was so wet last year, we have very little reference data in the dry, especially at these warm temperatures, so there was even more learning to be done. Overall, we've made a solid start and I believe we are in good shape heading into the weekend."

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American GP - Force India Preview

Nico Hulkenberg
“The weekend in Austin is one of the coolest of the whole year. It’s an event that ticks all the boxes: the track is fun, the city is interesting and the people are great. There’s a brilliant atmosphere, which you can feel as soon as you land in the city, and I really enjoy going there.
“I think COTA is one of the best tracks among the recent introductions to the calendar – they did a superb job with the layout. Sector one is very quick, with a great flow and high speeds. The whole lap has a good rhythm and overtaking is possible so you usually see some great racing.
“Last year was a very weird race, with some crazy rain on Saturday. When you get really wet weather, it adds to the challenge, because you have to keep focus while waiting around for the sessions to restart. You need to switch off and then be able to switch on again, but that’s part of being a racing driver.”


Sergio Perez
“Before Mexico joined the calendar, Austin felt like a home race for me so I am always happy to go there, to be close to home and to be able to spend a bit of time with my family and friends at the circuit. I always have guests with me and there are so many fans who make the trip from Mexico to see the race in Austin.
“The city is really nice and you’re never short of things to do. The whole place comes alive at night and there are so many bars and restaurants to enjoy. Of course, being there to race means we do not really get the chance to go out much, but even going for a walk gives you an opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere and see all the fans. It’s a young city, with many students, and that gives it a nice vibe.
“The circuit is incredible. The facilities are impressive and once the racing starts the atmosphere is really cool. It’s quite different from your average Formula One environment and makes for a very welcome change.
“Turn one is very tricky: you get to the top of the hill and the apex is blind, so you can’t really see where you’re going or the best line into the corner. You take a leap of faith and just go for it, and if you hesitate it’s very easy to turn in too late and lose precious time. You just need to get your calculations right.
“There are many corners inspired by other tracks - you get hints of Monza in the big braking zones, a reminder of Silverstone in the fast corners and it makes for a very interesting lap. Last year’s weekend was very difficult, with the weather stopping us from doing much practice, but we came away with a good result in the end and hopefully we can score strongly again this year.”

Vijay Mallya, team principal
“Malaysia and Japan were positive races for us. We were close to maximising our potential at each of those events and that’s all we can do at this stage of the season. Sepang and Suzuka provide a tough test of a Formula One car and our strong form is a good sign for the races to come.
“We’re in the middle of a very busy spell for the sport with four races within a month. The motivation and belief in the team are high and the visit to North America is always a highlight of the year. At such a busy time, it’s important to keep focus: the margins between success and failure are very small and we need to perform at the top of our game in every area. I’m proud of the job we are doing and excited about the challenge ahead of us.”

Formula1.com 

Hulkenberg Leaving Force India to join Renault

Nico Hulkenberg will switch from Force India to Renault in 2017 after signing a 'multi-year' deal with the French manufacturer.

Hulkenberg has spent four of the last five years with Force India, but will contest his final Grand Prix with the team in 2016's Abu Dhabi season finale. Force India had an option to keep the German on for 2017, but confirmed they would not stand in his way of joining a factory team.

"I’m very happy to join Renault Sport Formula One Team in 2017," Hulkenberg said. "Renault has always been a big player in the motorsport world that brings up incredible memories: in his stint with Renault [in their former guise as Benetton], Michael Schumacher not only helped make Germany an F1 nation, he also sparked my enthusiasm and fire for racing. As a part of the Renault family, I want to develop the car and write new success stories.

"It has always been my dream to work for a manufacturer team. F1’s new regulations will change the game and give our team a good opportunity. In the years to come, Renault will play a challenger role, which fits my approach to racing 100 percent. I can’t wait to become part of the family.

"For the remaining races this year, I will give my best for Force India to reach fourth place in the constructors' championship. This would be a great achievement for the whole Force India team, the biggest success in its history and a great end to a fantastic time there.

“I am grateful that Force India has given me the chance to take up this new opportunity.”
Renault Sport Racing chairman Jerome Stoll said Hulkenberg would help drive the team on to the next level.

"2017 will be the second season of Groupe Renault’s return as a manufacturer entry in Formula 1 and the next step in our journey," Stoll commented. "This season has been about putting the foundations in place for future success.

"For our next step we required an experienced driver who is still hungry for podiums. Nico Hülkenberg fulfils this role perfectly and is an excellent complement to what we want to achieve. He is a highly talented, dedicated and motivated driver. Nico will enable us to harness all the hard work completed this season and translate it to improved results on track in 2017 and beyond. We look forward to seeing him in our new car for 2017."

Force India team principal and managing director Vijay Mallya said the team would miss a driver of Hulkenberg's calibre, adding: "Everybody at Sahara Force India wishes Nico well as he embarks upon a different path in Formula One.

"Having spent five years with us, Nico has become a great friend and contributed a huge amount to the team’s success. He’s an outstanding driver, who has scored more points for this team than anybody else. While it’s true we will miss Nico, we respect his decision to explore fresh opportunities and it would be wrong to stand in his way.”

Having first broken into F1 with Williams in 2010, Hulkenberg is now one of the most experienced drivers on the grid - indeed only five drivers will have started more Grands Prix than him when the 2017 season gets underway.

He has finished in the points in more than half of the 111 races he has contested, and has also claimed one pole and led three races - although his wait for a first Grand Prix podium continues, with fourth - achieved on three different occasions - his best result.
Last year he won the Le Mans 24 Hours at his first attempt with Porsche.

Hulkenberg's move opens up a seat at Force India alongside Sergio Perez - with Manor's Pascal Wehrlein among those linked to the newly-available drive. At Renault, meanwhile, the likes of Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer are believed to be in contention to partner Hulkenberg.

Formula1.com 

Japanese GP - Race - Force India Quotes

A great start by Perez propelled him up to third, a position he couldn't hold for long with faster cars coming through. Hulkenberg also jumped three places at the start, and the two cars remained in the top ten for the rest of the race. Hulkenberg pulled off one of the overtakes of the race, breezing past Bottas round the outside into the chicane. The German clearly enjoyed the move, with a cool "see you later"  expressed over the radio. 

Sergio Perez, 7th
“I enjoyed myself today and I feel we made all the right decisions during the race. The start was good fun – I had a clean run going into turn one and ended up in third place. I tried my best to hold on to the position, but I knew it would be difficult to keep some very quick cars behind me so I needed to be sensible and choose my battles. Our car was very quick today and the two-stop strategy was definitely the correct one for us. It meant we needed to overtake the Williams cars on the track because they were on a different strategy, but fortunately I could make the moves on them very quickly. The end of the race, after all the pit stops, was just a case of looking after the tyres and keeping out of trouble. We scored some very useful points today – we need to keep doing the same in the final four races.”

Nico Hülkenberg, 8th
“I am quite happy with my race: seventh would have been possible, but I paid the price of not having an ideal qualifying session yesterday. I had a good first lap, but when you start from the back of the top ten, you have a lot more traffic to deal with and that cost me some time. The pass on Valtteri [Bottas] was the highlight of my race. I had lined up a pass the lap before, but didn’t get a good exit from the final corner and I missed out in turn one; so I told myself “if I can’t get you here, I’ll get you at the chicane instead!” I pulled the move off nicely; it was a close wheel-to-wheel battle. It was important to finish with two cars well inside the points, but we know every race and every point will count from here onwards because the battle in the championship will go down to the final race. It’s going to be good fun and it’s a nice challenge.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“We leave Japan feeling satisfied with our performance across the whole weekend. We qualified well, which allowed us to execute the optimal two-stop strategy with both cars. Seventh and eighth was the most we could realistically hope to achieve given the reliability of the cars at the front of the field, so it’s rewarding to bring home ten important points. It was very enjoyable watching Checo and Nico involved in several close fights in the early laps. They pulled off some exciting moves – which were very important because they enabled the strategy to play out in our favour. With four races to go, we must maximise our potential at every event because there’s still a long way to the end of the season.”

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Japanese GP - Qualifying Force India Quotes

Both cars into Q3 at the expense of Williams means it is advantage Force India in the constructors' championship battle for fourth place. Perez was 'best of the rest' behind Ricciardo in seventh, whilst Hulkenberg struggled to put the perfect lap together and finished ninth.

  Sergio Perez, 7th, 1:31.961
“It was a very intense qualifying session and there were lots of competitive cars out there – I even finished with the same time as Romain [Grosjean] and I was lucky to be classified ahead of him. I am very happy about our performance, especially my lap in Q3: the margins are so tight around us and the smallest mistake makes the difference between starting seventh or twelfth, but today we did a really good job as a team. Starting one place ahead of where we qualified, because of Vettel’s penalty, puts us in a strong position for a good result tomorrow. If we have a normal race, with no strange circumstances, we can aim to score some important points. The strategy will depend on the weather conditions tomorrow, especially if it becomes much cooler than today. Overall I feel positive: we have done 70% of the job today, but the remaining 30% tomorrow is the most important.”

Nico Hulkenberg, 1:32.142
“I’m pretty happy with today and I’m starting in a good position tomorrow. My final lap in Q3 was looking really strong, but I lost a couple of tenths at the final chicane – it was okay going in, but I didn’t get the best exit from the corner. So maybe I could have been a little higher up the grid with a totally clean lap. We saw again today just how close things are in the midfield and I expect a big fight tomorrow. Track position is crucial here so it’s especially important to make the most of our starting positions with a clean start.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“I think our performance today is a fair reflection of the speed we have shown all weekend. Sergio and Nico delivered some excellent laps, especially in Q2, which were needed to ensure we progressed through to Q3. The lap times in the middle of the pack were incredibly tight and it’s satisfying to come away from the session with both cars inside the top ten. For tomorrow, we can approach the race knowing we have good race pace and the opportunity to score some useful points.”

Formula1.com 
 

Japan GP - Friday - Force India Quotes

Force India found a good balance early on, and both drivers said they had solid, problem-free days.

Nico Hulkenberg - FP1: 1:34.530, P7 FP2: 1:33.873, P7
“There’s not a huge amount to say really because it was a routine, standard day of practice. We just worked through the run plan with no dramas and collected all the information on the different tyre compounds. We looked competitive, but it’s only practice, so I would expect much tighter margins tomorrow when we get to qualifying. I’m feeling positive, though, because we’ve started well and I’m already pretty happy with the car balance.”

Sergio Perez - FP1: 1:34.767, P8; FP2: 1:33.570, P6
“It’s looking like a promising weekend based on our performance today. Of course, the track conditions were very good and you never know what the rest of the weekend will bring, but today everything was working well. We looked quite competitive in most conditions - on high and low fuel - and on all the tyre compounds. The set-up of the car was very good from the start of the day and we’ve not moved far away from this.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“It’s been a pretty straightforward and satisfying day of practice. The team achieved the objectives of the run plan, which included some test items split between the two cars. It was encouraging to see that our baseline set-up was not too far away from ideal and both drivers were pretty content with the feel of their cars by the end of the afternoon. Track conditions were very good today with relatively consistent track temperatures and very little wind to upset the cars. The programme included the usual combination of performance runs and long runs across the three tyre compounds, which means we have plenty of information to help our decisions overnight.”

Formula1.com

Perez to stay at Force India in 2017

Sergio Perez has confirmed that he is to stay at Force India in 2017, ending weeks of speculation about his future racing plans.

“I’m pleased to confirm that I will be racing with Sahara Force India in 2017 as the team and my supporters have concluded their agreements,” Perez said in a statement.

“I’m very happy with this team and I have a good feeling for the future. I’ve seen the progress we’ve made over last couple of years and I’m sure we have the potential to achieve even more going forward.

“The team knows me well and it’s important to have stability, especially with some big rule changes planned for next year. I’m excited for the rest of this season and for the challenge that awaits all of us in 2017.

“I thank all the team for believing in me and I will do my best repay their faith with points, podiums and hopefully wins.

"I also want to thank our Mexican partners, especially Telmex and Telcel, who have been supporting me since I was a young boy.

"They continue to play an important role in my journey through the sport."

In a separate message posted on social media, Perez thanked the other teams that had shown an interest in his services, adding "it flatters me incredibly and it pushes me to be strong and continue besting myself as a driver.”

The Mexican racer, who finished sixth in Malaysia on Sunday, is currently eighth in the drivers’ standings having scored 74 points. He has claimed two podiums in 2016, with both rostrum finishes also netting him Driver of the Day honours. 

Perez's confirmation alongside Nico Hulkenberg means that Force India will field an unchanged line-up for the fourth successive season in 2017. 

Formula1.com

Japan GP - Force India Preview

Vijay Mallya, Team principal
“We head to Suzuka off the back of a very strong weekend in Sepang. Scoring twelve points strengthened our fourth place in the championship and showed, once again, that the VJM09 is a car that is competitive on any kind of circuit. I think we were a little unlucky with how the race unfolded, but we made the most of the situation and came away with some important points. It means we can arrive in Suzuka confident of another competitive performance. The team is working extremely hard, the drivers are extracting the performance from the car, and we are looking forward to the challenge that awaits us this weekend.”
Nico Hulkenberg
“Suzuka is one of my favourite tracks - it's just got a great flow. You go from one corner straight into to the next and it's a proper old-school track; it's so much fun to drive, especially in qualifying when you have low fuel, soft tyres and lots of grip. You have some high-speed sections, but the main feature is the great rhythm you get as you drive through the lap.
“The track has several great corners: the best section is the Esses, which are pretty cool and so quick - it's three or four corners at once. They're all hooked up, so if you make a mistake in one you can just forget about the rest, you've already lost so much time.
“The other highlight of the Japanese weekend is the fans. They are incredible: it doesn’t matter what time of day it is, or what the weather is doing, they are there outside the hotel or at the track waiting for you. It's great to see their passion and knowledge for our sport. They always bring us presents - most often candy, but I once got a very cute teddy koala bear!”
Sergio Perez
“The trip to Japan is always good fun and every year I try to visit Tokyo for a few days ahead of the race. It’s one of the greatest cities in the world and I love to explore it: the Japanese culture is very interesting and I really like their food! I always have a good time there.
“Once you get to Suzuka, things are much quieter: the city is small but the circuit is spectacular, it’s the real attraction. The fans are also brilliant – there are very few in the world who can match their enthusiasm. Some are very loyal: there’s one Japanese fan, who always waits for me when I am leaving the track or leaving the hotel, and I always make sure I stop for a photo. As a whole, they are very knowledgeable and passionate and are one of the highlights of the weekend.
“The circuit is a huge challenge and it’s unforgiving. The speeds are high and the best part, for me, is sector one – it’s so impressive. Suzuka is without any doubt one of the best tracks in the world. You need a car that is balanced enough for you to feel completely at ease with it. The other thing to remember is the crosswinds because it can often by very windy there. One lap you can have the perfect balance and the next it can be thrown off by a gust of wind.
“It’s a track I like and where I have enjoyed some good results – it’s definitely one of the weekends I enjoy the most. Sadly, every time we go there we are reminded of Jules’s tragic accident.”

Formula1.com

Malaysian GP - Race - Force India Quotes

Perez had the better start, running third before losing ground to Raikkonen and Verstappen. From there is was a quiet but successful race for both Force India drivers, as they remained in the top ten to bring home a double points finish and extend their slender margin over Williams in the constructors' championship.

Sergio Perez, 6th
“It was a solid race for us today, but I think we were a bit unlucky with the way the race unfolded. At the start, things looked very positive: I had a good launch, stuck to the inside line and was up to third after turn one. There were some very quick cars behind me and I knew there was no point in fighting too hard and destroying my tyres. The key moment of my race was the first virtual safety car, because it handed a big advantage to those who were able to start on the medium tyres, and dropped me down the order when I pitted. To recover back to sixth place was a good effort and we know that every point will count in the fight to finish fourth in the constructors’ championship. I don’t think we made any wrong decisions today, but it was just that the circumstances played more against us and into the hands of others.”

Nico Hülkenberg, 8th
“Finishing eighth is a reasonable result, given the circumstances of the race. It was quite a tough afternoon: I made a very good start, but coming to turn one I had to avoid the accident between Rosberg and Vettel and that cost me two positions. Being stuck behind Jenson [Button] cost me a lot of time in the first two stints and I just couldn’t overtake him. Losing the track position so early on made it very difficult to finish higher up, despite the speed we had in the car today. I believe our strategy was the correct one for our race, but it’s very hard to overtake here and it just didn’t play out in our favour. All in all, we can be happy about putting two cars inside the points; we have increased our advantage a little and it should help us in what is going to be a very interesting end of the season.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“To come away from Malaysia with another 12 points added to our tally represents an excellent effort by the entire team. It was quite an eventful race, with various incidents going on around us, but we managed to stay out of trouble and bring home a solid result. We were a little unfortunate with the timing of the first virtual safety car, but we reacted well and made the correct decisions from the pit wall. The car showed good race pace and both drivers have performed well all weekend. The points scored have given us some more breathing space in the battle for fourth place in the championship, but as today proved it’s going to remain a very close fight over the remaining five events.”

Formula1.com

Malyasin GP - Qualifying - Force India Quotes

Force India once again looked strong, with both drivers making Q3. Hulkenberg appeared to have the beating of Perez, but the latter put in a faultless final lap to grab seventh. They will line up side by side on the fourth row, and a double points finish could see Force India strengthen their grip on fourth place in the constructors' championship.

Sergio Perez, 7th, 1:34.319
“I’m very happy with our performance. It was very important to execute a perfect qualifying session and I think that is what we did. It was a mega effort by the whole team. The whole qualifying hour was very intense because you could see how close together the laptimes were for all the cars and I had to maximise each lap. I made a little mistake in Q2 on my last run, which could have cost me a place in Q3, but fortunately I managed to make it through. The result today means we are in a great position to fight for strong points tomorrow.”

Nico Hulkenberg, 8th, 1:34.489
“I am quite satisfied with how today went and my starting position for the race. When the top three teams lock out the first three rows, seventh and eighth is the best we could have achieved. In the end, my lap was not good enough for P7: I felt a bit more comfortable and had a better rhythm at the start of the session and it fell away slightly in Q3 – perhaps the track cooled and that’s one of the possibilities we will try to understand tonight. Still, eighth is a very good position to start tomorrow’s race. It’s going to be really close behind the leaders: I hope we can keep up with the cars in front and take the opportunity if anything happens. Our priority is to stay inside the points and maximise what we can get out of this race.”

Robert Fernley, Deputy Team Principal
“An extremely satisfying performance today, which sets us up nicely for a strong race tomorrow. The team has done an excellent job of dialling the car into this circuit and both drivers delivered clean laps when it mattered. Locking out the fourth row of the grid is a fair reflection of the speed we have in the car and I’m optimistic we can race well to bring home some important points."

Formula1.com